We have ranked every college football program in the country, based on the attractiveness of the position from a coaching perspective. We considered many factors — tradition, facilities, location, money — but in the end, we simply asked ourselves the following question: Where would we want to coach? After ranking each conference, Athlon turns the page to the overall power rankings. Texas ranks as the best job in college football, with Florida, Alabama, USC and Ohio State rounding out the top five.

(Note: Current or impending NCAA sanctions were not a factor in these rankings.)

Ranking the Coaching Jobs in College Football for 2013

1. Texas

Pros: Texas offers the complete package: Great school in a great town with great tradition. Also, it’s located in a state that treats high school football like a religion.

Cons: Texas has a ton going for it (see above), but the Longhorns are only 22–16 in the last three seasons. The program is not immune to losing. And while Texas is a recruiting power, there are three other AQ conference schools in the state, and virtually every other national power dips into Texas to recruit as well.

Final Verdict: It’s easier said than done — just ask David McWilliams and John Mackovic — but everything is in place to win big on a consistent basis at Texas.

2. Florida

Pros: Location. Location. Location. Florida is a public university in a state that produces a tremendous amount of top-flight talent. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium offers one of the best atmospheres in college football, and the fan base is as rabid as there is in the nation.

Cons: Expectations are sky-high at a school that has won two national championships in the past seven seasons. If you don’t win — and win big — things can turn ugly very quickly. Just ask Ron Zook.

Final Verdict: Florida presents one of the elite coaching opportunities in college football. You have everything at your disposal to compete for national championships on an annual basis. There is no excuse not to be good at Florida.

3. Alabama

Pros: Tradition. With the possible exception of Notre Dame, no school in the country has more tradition than Alabama. The Tide have won 23 SEC championships and (depending on who you ask) 15 national titles. The facilities are top-notch, the fans are passionate and the recruiting base is strong.

Cons: Coaching football at Alabama is arguably the most stressful job in collegiate athletics. It’s takes a certain kind of coach to deal with that type of scrutiny.

Final Verdict: Alabama is unquestionably one of the premier jobs in the nation. The coach who can deal with the demands of the job — like Nick Saban — will win at a very high level in Tuscaloosa.

4. USC

Pros: The USC coaching staff has the ability to stock its roster with elite talent without ever having to jump on a plane. The program has a rich tradition, but it doesn’t live in the past; the Trojans were dominant in the 2000s, winning seven straight Pac-10 titles (2002-08) and two national championships.

Cons: USC is the top job in L.A., but the city does have another program with tremendous potential. It doesn’t take much of a dip to lose your status as the No. 1 program in your own town.

Final Verdict: If you’re a West Coast guy, coaching the Trojans is as good as it gets. It’s the best job in the Pac-12 and you are in the most fertile recruiting area in the country.

5. Ohio State

Pros: There are eight FBS schools in Ohio, but there is only one school named The Ohio State University. The Buckeyes have been a consistent force on the field and in recruiting since Woody Hayes took over in the early 1950s.

Cons: Expectations are extremely high in Columbus. Consider the case of John Cooper: In 13 seasons, Cooper went 111–43–4, winning 10 games or more five times. But he went 2–10–1 against Michigan and lost his job after the 2000 season.

Final Verdict: Everything is in place to win a national championship at Ohio State. The facilities are top-notch, the fans are passionate, and the recruiting base is outstanding. Just don’t lose to Michigan.

6. Oklahoma

Pros: Oklahoma has been a dominant force in college football dating back to the late 1930s. The program has consistently been able to dip into Texas and steal more than its share of elite players on an annual basis. The Big 12, with no Nebraska and no conference title game, offers an easier path to a national championship for OU.

Cons: The state does not produce enough talent to stock the Sooners’ roster with the type of players needed to compete for championship. Recruiting at a high level out of state is a must.

Final Verdict: Not every coach has won big at Oklahoma — John Blake went 8–16 in three seasons (1996-98) — but it is clearly one of the marquee jobs in the nation. Winning a national championship is well within your reach.

7. Michigan

Pros: Michigan has as much tradition as any school in the country. The Wolverines have been a national power since the 1890s and they play in one of the largest venues in the country, 109,901-seat Michigan Stadium. The program’s success and the school’s academic reputation have allowed Michigan to be a major player in recruiting both in the Midwest and nationally.

Cons: Michigan is an old-school program that is very set in its ways. A coach who comes in with a new philosophy — for example, Rich Rodriguez — will have a tough time being accepted.

Final Verdict: Michigan is no doubt an elite job, but as we saw in the Rodriguez era — he won a total of 15 games in three years — you have to be the right fit to win big in Ann Arbor.

8. Georgia

Pros: Georgia has tremendous tradition and is located in arguably the finest college town in America — Athens. The Peach State might not produce talent at the same rate as Florida, Texas or California, but metro Atlanta is always strong, and small towns such as Columbus, Valdosta and Warner Robins consistently produce elite talent.

Cons: There are really no negatives to be found at Georgia, other than the fact that you are competing in the very difficult SEC, and you have a fan base that demands you win at a high level.

Final Verdict: Georgia is a great situation, but you clearly have to have the right guy in place to win big. After Vince Dooley won the third of three straight SEC crowns in 1982, the Bulldogs went nearly two decades — and went through two more coaches — before their next league title, won by Mark Richt in 2002.

9. LSU

Pros: It’s become a bit of a cliché, but there really is nothing like being in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night in the fall. That environment is one reason the Tigers are able to recruit so well. The other? The state of Louisiana is arguably the most underrated talent producer in the nation.

Cons: LSU has so much going for it, but why have so many coaches failed to win at a high level in Baton Rouge? From 1971 though 2000, the Tigers only won one outright SEC championship, in 1986 under Bill Arnsparger.

Final Verdict: It’s hard to find a reason why LSU would not be a desirable coaching position. Sure the competition is tough and the fans are demanding, but that comes with the territory. The school has won two national titles in the past 11 seasons.

10. Notre Dame

Pros:Notre Dame has three unique advantages compared to almost every school in the country — a national following, its own television contract and an unparalleled history that includes 11 consensus national titles.

Cons: Brian Kelly has returned Notre Dame to national prominence, but there was a long stretch in which the Fighting Irish struggled to compete at an elite level. From 1998-2011, ND went 99–72 with an unthinkable six non-winning seasons. The school’s relatively high academic standards can make recruiting more challenging. Also, Notre Dame lacks the home-state recruiting territory of other national powers. Indiana is not great state for high school football.

Final Verdict: Notre Dame might not be the same job it was 20 years ago, but this is still a great situation for the right coach. You can win a national title with the Fighting Irish.

11. Florida State

Pros: You can make the argument that Florida State offers all of the positives of Florida without the brutal competition of the SEC East. Would you rather battle Clemson, NC State and Boston College or Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina every year?

Cons: Florida State has a nice following, but its fans can be on the fickle side. Last season, when the Seminoles had legitimate national title ambitions, Doak Campbell was “only” filled to 92 percent capacity. Not bad, but not quite up to standards of most programs of similar stature. Also, the ACC has been relatively weak in recent seasons; an undefeated ACC champ might not automatically play for a national title.

Final Verdict: Florida State enjoyed an unbelievable run of success from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. But the Noles lost five games or more three times from 2006-10. Winning is no longer automatic.

12. Oregon

Pros: As long as Phil Knight and the University of Oregon remain in good graces, this program will be blessed with tremendous financial resources. The Nike founder and former Oregon track athlete has donated over $100 million to the school’s athletic department. In addition, the Ducks have a tremendous home field advantage at 54,00-seat Autzen Stadium, regarded as the most raucous atmosphere in the Pac-12.

Cons: Right now, it’s difficult to find many good reasons why the head coaching position at Oregon would not be attractive. The school does lack tradition, but the Ducks have averaged nine wins per season since 1994.

Final Verdict: Ten or 15 years ago, Oregon wouldn’t be nearly as high on this list, but Knight’s money, Mike Bellotti’s recruiting and Chip Kelly’s offensive wizardry transformed this program. It is now clearly one of the most-desirable positions in the country.

13. Texas A&M

Pros: Texas A&M’s facilities are among the very best in the nation. Kyle Field is a bit on the old side and is set to undergo a renovation, but as far as the facilities for recruiting — football complex in the south end zone, the indoor practice facility — A&M has very few rivals. The recruiting base is among the best in the country, and the Aggies, the only SEC school in the state of Texas, should be able to battle the University of Texas for the best players in the state.

Cons: Even with so much going for it, Texas A&M has had trouble sustaining success throughout its history.

Final Verdict: Texas A&M is a very intriguing position. It has everything you would want in a job — great facilities, strong following, tremendous recruiting base — but the competition in the SEC West is fierce. If you win at A&M, you will have earned it.

14. Penn State(Note: These rankings do not take NCAA sanctions into consideration.)

Pros: Penn State is an enormous state university in an extremely fertile recruiting area. The Nittany Lions play in the second-largest facility in the country (Beaver Stadium, capacity 107,282), and they have won two national championships in the past 30 years

Cons: Penn State recovered nicely in the latter half of the 2000s, but it’s a bit disconcerting that a program with so much going for it was capable of having four losing seasons in a five-year span like Penn State did from 2000-04. Truly elite programs should not suffer through prolonged droughts.

Final Verdict: Penn State is difficult to evaluate at this point. Sanctions are not supposed to affect these rankings, but Penn State is a unique case. This is a great job, but the program will not compete at a high level until the sanctions are over.

15. Nebraska

Pros: Strong tradition. Amazing facilities. Passionate fans. Those three things don’t guarantee success, but they are a nice place to start. The Big Ten Legends Division has some good programs — Michigan, Iowa and Michigan State — but Nebraska should be in position to compete for a division title on an annual basis.

Cons: The Huskers won three national titles in the 1990s, but the program slipped a bit over the past decade. The state of Nebraska does not produce many high-end BCS conference players each year, and the program no longer has the sex-appeal to steal elite players from the East Coast like it did in the 1970s and 80s.

Final Verdict: Nebraska is a unique coaching position. You have everything in place to win big — except a local recruiting base. How big is that hurdle? Significant but not insurmountable. The Huskers are no longer a top-10 job but still very desirable.

16. UCLA

Pros: UCLA shares the same built-in recruiting advantages as its cross-town rival USC. The 2000s were relatively lean, but UCLA won or shared three Pac-10 titles in the 1990s and four in the ‘80s.

Cons: Life can be tough when you are forced to share a city with one of the elite programs in the nation. And while the Rose Bowl is a beautiful place to play, the facility is 30 miles from campus.

Final Verdict: The Pac-12 is a very good league, but USC and Oregon are the only programs that have enjoyed sustained success in the past 15 years. The right coach can have this program in contention for conference titles on a consistent basis.

17. Auburn

Pros: Auburn and Georgia are the only two schools in the SEC with at least five winning conference seasons in each of the past four decades. Clearly, this program can be a consistent winner in the nation’s most difficult conference.

Cons: Auburn is a state school with a great following, but it will always be No. 2 in Alabama behind the Crimson Tide from Tuscaloosa.

Final Verdict: If your ego can handle being the second most important coach in the state, then Auburn can be a destination job. The school — with its fine tradition, strong facilities and outstanding recruiting base — has proven over time that it can compete on a national level. The Tigers, after all, won the BCS crown in 2010.

18. Tennessee

Pros: Who wouldn’t want to recruit to picturesque Neyland Stadium, with its 100,000-plus orange-clad zealots cheering on the Vols each week? And while Tennessee has struggled in recent years, the program enjoyed tremendous success in the not-too-distant past. From 1989-2001, the Vols went 80–20–1 in the SEC and claimed four league titles. During that span, they were ranked in the final top 10 of the AP poll seven times.

Cons: The Vols must recruit nationally because the state of Tennessee does not produce enough BCS conference players to stock the school’s roster. This is not a concern for UT’s chief SEC rivals Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn and Alabama.

Final Verdict: Tennessee is a great place to coach, but the Vols have slipped down the SEC food chain over the past decade. We now have Tennessee seventh on the list in the league.

19. Clemson

Pros:Clemson is an SEC-like school that has the luxury of playing an ACC schedule. The fans are rabid, the stadium is huge (capacity 81,500), and unlike many its ACC brethren, Clemson is a football school.

Cons: Clemson seemingly has so much going for it, yet the program has only won two ACC titles in the past 24 seasons. If you are a coach interested in the job, you’d have ask yourself the following question: Why is this program a chronic underachiever?

Final Analysis:Clemson presents a great opportunity. The program is a major player in the recruiting game, and it has so many built-in advantages compared to almost every school in the league. The Tigers have the ability to compete for the ACC title on an annual basis.

20. South Carolina

Pros: South Carolina is home to arguably the most loyal fans in the nation. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Gamecock fans routinely filled 80,000-seat Williams Brice Stadium even though their team averaged only six wins per season. In addition, the facilities are great, and the recruiting base is strong.

Cons: Steve Spurrier has broken through in recent years, but South Carolina football has historically been one of the nation’s most underachieving programs.

Final Verdict: South Carolina has won 17 SEC games in the past three seasons — by far its best stretch since joining the league — but we’re still not ready to put this program on the same level as SEC royalty like Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Florida.

21. Virginia Tech

Pros: Virginia Tech has a very strong (and underrated) recruiting base, most notably the Hampton Roads-Tidewater area — better known as the ‘757’ by recruiting gurus. The Hokies also have a passionate fan base that creates a tremendous environment at Lane Stadium.

Cons: The school has only been relevant on the national scene under Frank Beamer’s watch. Can another coach recreate the magic?

Final Verdict: Virginia Tech isn’t quite college football royalty, but it’s not far off. Before last season’s 7–6 hiccup, the Hokies had won at least 10 games in at least eight straight seasons. You can win a national title in Blacksburg.

22. Miami

Pros: With the possible exception of USC and UCLA, no school in the country has a better local recruiting base. And while the Canes have struggled in recent years, the program won a national championship as recently as 2001 and played for a title in ’02.

Cons: Miami has the smallest fan base of the top 25 teams on this list. Last season, the Canes ranked 44th in the nation in attendance, averaging 47,719 per game at Sun Life Stadium. The facility is 20 miles from campus and lacks the big-time college football atmosphere.

Final Verdict:Miami is an intriguing job. The recruiting base is outstanding — which gives you a great opportunity to win — but the position lacks many of the other qualities that make coaching at a big-time school so attractive.

23. Oklahoma State

Pros: T. Boone Pickens is a very wealthy man, and he’s a big fan of Oklahoma State football. As a result, the Cowboys boast some of the best facilities in the nation. And these facilities help the O-State coaches tap into a fertile recruiting ground in nearby Texas.

Cons: Since Oklahoma State joined the Big Eight in 1960, the Cowboys have finished ahead of Oklahoma five times. The school will always be the No. 2 program in the state.

Final Verdict: In a vacuum, Oklahoma State would be a wonderful place to coach, but if you have your sights set on competing for a national title on a regular basis, Stillwater might not be the place for you. There’s a reason the school has only won two conference titles since the mid-1950s.

24. Washington

Pros: This is a proud program with great tradition. The Huskies won a national title in 1991 and claimed at least a share of five Pac-10 titles from 1990-2000. UW is in a great city (Seattle) and has an SEC-like following when things are going well.

Cons: The school has addressed the program’s only significant weakness — facilities — with the $250 million renovation to Husky Stadium. Washington’s in-state recruiting base is solid but lags signficantly behind the four California teams in the Pac-12.

Final Verdict: The past decade has proven that it can be difficult to win at Washington. But this is still a very good job. Is it a great job? Not anymore. But it is still a prestigious program that can attract elite talent. You can win at UW.

25. West Virginia

Pros: West Virginia has an SEC feel to it. There are no pro sports to share the spotlight with in the Mountain State; the Mountaineers are the game in town.

Cons: West Virginia’s recruiting base isn’t as strong as many of its rivals in the Big 12. The state simply doesn’t produce many elite-level prospects.

Final Verdict: History tells us that West Virginia is a very good job. The school has won at least 10 games six times since 1988. But it’s not a job without its challenges. It’s a strange geographic fit in the Big 12, which presents some difficulties on the recruiting trail.

26. Wisconsin

Pros: Wisconsin has been transformed into a football school over the past two decades. Badger faithful pack 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium each week and create one the best environments in the nation. Madison also is a great place to live.

Cons: The school’s local recruiting base isn’t strong; the state has not produced a national top-100 player in the past four seasons. Also, the Badgers have only been relevant on the national scene since the early 1990s. Wisconsin lacks the tradition of many of its Big Ten rivals.

Final Verdict: Barry Alvarez turned Wisconsin from a Big Ten afterthought to a significant player in college football. But the Badgers’ place as a top program is far from secure. Wisconsin, more than most of the other schools ranked in the top 25 on this list, needs the right coach in place to remain successful.

27. North Carolina

Pros:The school is an easy sell for a recruiter: It’s is one of the premier public institutions in the nation, and its location, in picturesque Chapel Hill, is ideal. UNC has also made a huge financial commitment to football in the past decade.

Cons: North Carolina is — and always will be — a basketball school. That is something that every football coach must accept. And while the school has enjoyed pockets of success, it’s been difficult to win consistently at UNC. Since Mack Brown bolted for Texas after the 1997 season, the Tar Heels have averaged 3.5 ACC wins.

Final Verdict: North Carolina’s lack of success over the years might surprise even a knowledgeable college football fan. The Tar Heels have not won an ACC Championship since 1980 and have not strung together back-to-back winning ACC seasons since the mid-1990s. Still, this is a desirable position for a coach. It’s a great school that has made a strong commitment to the football program.

28. Arkansas

Pros: Recently renovated Reynolds Razorback Stadium — with its 76,000 seats and 30x107-foot LED video screen — is one of the most underrated venues in the nation. Arkansas is the only BCS program in the state, giving the school an advantage in recruiting homegrown talent.

Cons: The Hogs have found it tough to win consistently since bolting the Southwest Conference for the SEC in the early 1990s. Arkansas is 85-89-2 in the SEC and has only once had back-to-back winning seasons in the league.

Final Verdict: Arkansas is quite similar to several of the non-elite coaching positions in the SEC. It’s a good job, but it’s not a destination job for a coach with national title aspirations.

29. Louisville

Pros: Louisville has solid facilities and is in a good spot geographically to consistently attract top recruits. Kentucky is not a great talent producer, but Louisville can recruit Ohio and Illinois due to its proximity to those states and has always done a good job recruiting Florida. Also, the school “survived” the realignment wars, finding a home in the ACC beginning in 2014.

Cons: The school lacks football tradition and doesn’t have the fan base that most of the other schools have ranked in the top 50 of this list. When the Cards are good, they draw well. But in 2009, in the final season of the Steve Kragthrope era, they ranked 71st in the nation in attendance, averaging 32,540 per game.

Final Verdict: Like many of the schools in the Big East, Louisville is only as good as its coach. Bobby Petrino won big in his four years. Kragthorpe flopped in his three seasons. Charlie Strong has done well in his three seasons. With the right fit, Louisville competes for league titles.

30. Michigan State

Pros: Michigan State seemingly has everything in place to be a major player in the Big Ten — great fan support (averaged 75,382 per game in ’12), good facilities, strong recruiting base and decent tradition.

Cons: Despite all of the positives listed above, Michigan State has only won one Big Ten title — in 2009 — in two decades and has only averaged 6.0 wins in the 47 seasons since claiming a share of the 1966 national championship. Also, there’s the Michigan thing: No matter how much success the Spartans enjoy, they will always be the second school in the state behind Michigan.

Final Verdict: Michigan State has been an underachiever and will never be the No. 1 program in its own state. Still, it’s a good job. If you can change the culture in East Lansing —which Mark Dantonio has apparently done — there is no reason Michigan State can’t contend for Big Ten titles on a semi-regular basis.

31. Pittsburgh

Pros: Pittsburgh is located in the heart of Western Pennsylvania, which gives the Panthers a solid recruiting base. The school also shares its football facility with the Pittsburgh Steelers — which can be a positive (NFL influence) or negative (no on-campus stadium).

Cons: It’s been tough to win consistently at Pitt over the past three decades. The Panthers have only had a winning record in 14 of the 29 seasons since Jackie Sherrill bolted.

Final Verdict: Former coach Dave Wannstedt proved that you can attract talent to play at Pittsburgh. But it’s a school with a ceiling. The Panthers should consistently win seven or eight games per season, but can you win a national title? Not likely.

32. TCU

Pros: TCU is located in the heart of the most fertile recruiting area in the country. The Horned Frogs have vastly improved their facilities over the past five years and now are a member of one of the nation’s top conferences.

Cons: TCU is now back in a power conference, but it’s still a small private school (8,000-plus undergrads) in league comprised mostly of massive state schools. The fan base will never be as large as many of its rivals.

Final Verdict: Perhaps no school other than Boise State has improved its national profile in the past 5-10 years as much as TCU. The school is back in a power conference after bouncing around for 16 years in the mid-major ranks (WAC to C-USA to MWC). This is not an elite job — TCU will always take a back seat to Texas, Texas A&M and even Texas Tech in its own state — but it’s a much better opportunity for a coach than it was 10 years ago.

33. Ole Miss

Pros: Historically, Mississippi produces as many Division I prospects per capita as any state in the nation. There is plenty of competition for these recruits (Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU, etc.), but a good coach will be able to keep the Rebels stocked with solid talent. Support for Rebel football is also very strong; the Rebs averaged 57,066 per game in 2012. Also, Ole Miss’ facilities have improved tremendously in the past five years.

Cons: You have to go back to the early 1960s to find a time in which Ole Miss was a major player in the SEC. The Rebels haven’t won a league title since 1963, and they are only team in the West (outside of SEC West newcomer Texas A&M) that has not played in an SEC Championship Game.

Final Verdict: Ole Miss has made the commitment to its football program, but it takes more than a commitment — and more than one top-10 recruiting class — to beat the elite SEC programs on a consistent basis. This job has great potential, but Ole Miss hasn’t “arrived” yet.

34. Iowa

Pros: Three key elements make Iowa an attractive job — it’s the top school in the state (sorry, Iowa State), it has a strong tradition of excellence (five Big Ten titles since 1981, two BCS bowls since ‘03) and it has great fan support (70,474 per game in ’12).

Cons: Iowa might be the top dog in the state, but the hunting grounds aren’t very fertile. To remain competitive, the Hawkeyes’ staff will always have to go into other teams’ home states to recruit.

Final Verdict: It’s difficult for a school that doesn’t have a strong local recruiting base to compete for national title. It can be done — Nebraska won three titles in the 1990s — but that is a very big hurdle to climb.

35. California

Pros: Cal is one of the premier public institutions in the nation located in a great area, giving the Bears a recruiting edge against most of the other schools in the Pac-12. The school is also located in the fertile recruiting area of Northern California. And the facilities, long time an issue at the school, have recently received a major upgrade.

Cons: Bears have had trouble winning consistently; they have two Pac-12 titles (none outright) since 1958.

Final Verdict: Cal is an intriguing job. There is a lot to like, but there are certain drawbacks. You can win in Berkeley, but the culture of the university will likely prevent the football program from ever reaching elite status.

36. Missouri

Pros: Missouri has an underrated recruiting base. There is a solid crop of instate talent every year, and Mizzou does a decent job landing players from Texas and Illinois.

Cons: It’s been tough to win consistently at Missouri. Dating back to the days of the Big Eight, the Tigers have only had seven winning seasons in league play since 1983. The SEC East presents several huge challenges on an annual basis.

Final Verdict: Missouri is a good job — but not a great job. You can average eight wins per season and go to decent bowl games, but the Tigers aren’t much of a threat to contend for SEC titles.

37. BYU

Pros: BYU has been one of the most consistent winners in college football over the past four decades. Since 1973, the Cougars have only had three losing seasons — all in the 2000s under Gary Crowton — and they have a national title (1984) on their resume. The school’s LDS Church affiliation gives it an inside track to land the elite Mormon recruits from all over the country.

Cons: The recruiting pool, while national to some degree, is somewhat limited at BYU; the school has trouble attracting black players. BYU’s decision to bolt the Mountain West and become an Independent was a bit risky.

Final Verdict: BYU is a unique position. For the right coach, it’s a great job. You can win a bunch of games in Provo, but it remains to be seen if the Cougars can become a national player as one of only four FBS independent schools.

38. Boise State

Pros: Boise State has dominated its league like no other school in the nation over the past decade. The Broncos won at least a share of the WAC eight times in the their final 10 years in the league, and they are 13–2 in their first two seasons in the Mountain West. The school has also been able to crash the BCS party two times in the past seven seasons.

Cons: The move from the WAC to the Mountain West is a plus, but the Broncos’ schedule strength — or lack thereof — will continue to be an issue as it fights for respect in the polls.

Final Verdict: With its blue turf and its deep bag of trick plays, Boise State has created a brand for itself on the college football landscape. This is a cozy job for someone not interested in all of the perks that come with coaching at a school with an SEC-type fan base.

39. Arizona State

Pros: The Sun Devils have made a significant investment in their facilities in recent years, with an indoor practice bubble and new weight and locker rooms. And recently, plans were announced to upgrade Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State has won three Pac-12 titles in its 30-plus years in the league (1986, ’96 and ’07). Oh, we can’t forget about the weather.

Cons: While the school has experienced pockets of success (three league titles), the Devils have strung together back-to-back winning Pac-10 seasons only once since John Cooper bolted in 1987.

Final Verdict: Arizona State offers a pretty good situation for a school without a strong local recruiting base. The weather is great and the tradition is good enough. USC, Oregon and UCLA will always the top jobs in the league, but with the right coach in place, ASU can be a consistent force in the Pac-12.

40. Arizona

Pros: Arizona has never been a Pac-10 power, but the school has more than held its own for much of its 32 years in the league. The Wildcats had 11 winning Pac-10 seasons in a 13-year stretch from 1982-94. Good coaches have shown the ability to attract talent to Tucson.

Cons: Since 1994, Arizona has only had a winning Pac-12 record twice — 1998 and 2009.

Final Verdict: Being a good recruiter is obviously important at every school, but it is of paramount importance at Arizona. The school is without many of the built-in advantages (tradition, top facilities, etc.) that exist at some of the Pac-12 programs, so you have to convince players to come to Arizona for reasons other than the weather.

41. Texas Tech

Pros: Texas Tech has proven it can win consistently. Prior to 2010, the Red Raiders had been .500 or better in league play — SWC and Big 12 — 22 times in the previous 25 seasons. The school has recently invested in the program with an $84 million renovation to Jones AT&T Stadium.

Cons:While the program has managed to remain competitive, winning titles has been very difficult in Lubbock. The school has not won an outright conference title since 1955, when it claimed its third straight Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. Also, recruiting to Lubbock — the outpost of the Big 12 — can be a bit difficult.

Final Verdict: Texas Tech might be the fourth most attractive job in its own state, but it’s still a very good program that has proven it can’t remain relevant in the Big 12.

42. North Carolina State

Pros: The facilities at NC State are among the finest in the ACC. The spectacular Murphy Center, a football-only building, houses coaches’ offices, the weight room and dining area for the players, among other things. The school’s recruiting base, the Carolinas and Virginia, is strong.

Cons: The school doesn’t have a strong record of success. NC State hasn’t won an ACC title since 1979 and has had only seven winning league seasons since 1990.

Final Verdict: This program has underachieved over the past decade. Everything is in place — facilities, fan support, recruiting base — to be a consistent winner in the ACC.

43. Rutgers

Pros: Rutgers’ location affords the coaching staff the opportunity to stock its entire roster with local talent. The facilities have been upgraded in recent years, most notably the $102 million expansion to Rutgers Stadium. Also, being just over 30 miles from New York City — the media capital of the world — can’t hurt.

Cons: The school has almost no tradition; prior to the mid-2000s, the program was irrelevant. And while support for Rutgers football has grown in recent years, pro sports will always be No. 1 in the metropolitan area.

Final Verdict: Long considered the sleeping giant on the East Coast, Rutgers has emerged as a consistent winner in the Big East. Whether or not this is a true destination job is up for debate, but it’s clear that you can win a bunch of games and go to bowl games at Rutgers.

44. Virginia

Pros:Virginia is great school in a great college town, and the state consistently produces a high number of BCS level recruits.

Cons: The school has a surprisingly bad track record in football. George Welsh had a nice run in the 1980s and 90s, but other than that, the Cavaliers have had a tough time fielding a consistently competitive program. UVa has won a total of two championships (both shared) in its 56 years in the ACC. Recruiting can also be tough at Virginia, based on the school’s relatively tough academic standards.

Final Verdict:This school should be able to be consistently competitive in the ACC. Other than its lack of tradition, everything is seemingly in place to elevate the profile of this program.

45. Georgia Tech

Pros: Georgia is annually one of the top talent-producing states in the nation, giving the Yellow Jackets’ staff an opportunity to land quality recruiting classes despite the fact that the University of Georgia is the top Dawg in the state. Tech has also proven over time that it can win consistently in the ACC; the Jackets have been .500 or better in league play in 19 straight seasons.

Cons:Georgia Tech will always be the second most popular program in its own city, which is probably more of a problem for the school’s fans than its players and coaches. The male-to-female ratio (about 2-to-1) at the school can’t help recruiting, either.

Final Verdict: Georgia Tech might not come to mind when you think about some of the top programs in the nation, but this is a solid football school with underrated tradition. It’s been proven that you can win titles — both ACC (2009, 1998, 1990) and national (1990).

46. Maryland

Pros:Maryland has enjoyed pockets of success over the last three decades. Bobby Ross won three straight ACC titles from 1983-85 and Ralph Friedgen went a combined 31–8 from 2001-03, and won eight-plus games in 2008 and 2010. And while it isn’t to the Oregon/Nike level, the school’s close ties with UnderArmour is a positive.

Cons: The impending move to the Big Ten will help the school in many ways, but it might have a negative impact on the football program’s recruiting. Maryland isn’t going to beat out many Big Ten schools for prospects from the Midwest, and the school won’t have the same appeal for many players in the Mid-Atlantic Region and Southeast now that the Terps won’t be playing an ACC schedule.

Final Verdict: Maryland is a lower-tier job in the ACC. And it will be a lower-tier job in the Big Ten. You can win games, but it will be very difficult for any coach to compete for championships in the current landscape.

47. Stanford

Pros: Stanford offers the best combination of elite academics (top 5 in U.S. News & World Report) and big-time college football. The school’s outstanding reputation allows the staff to recruit nationally.

Cons: Until recently, sustained success had been tough to achieve on The Farm. From the late 1970s through the late 2000s, Stanford was unable to string together more than two straight wining seasons. The school’s strict academic standards — even for athletes — shrinks the recruiting pool considerably.

Final Verdict: Stanford is not for everybody, but it is a great job for a coach who embraces the school’s mission. The Cardinal struggled for much of the 2000s, but this is a program that has emerged as a national power in recent years.

48. South Florida

Pros: South Florida has a tremendous local recruiting base and is a member of the conference with the least resistance to a BCS bowl (for now). The Bulls proved they can be a consistent winner in the FBS ranks, averaging 8.4 wins from 2006-10.

Cons: South Florida lacks tradition and does not have an on-campus stadium. The Bulls play their home games 15 miles from campus. And while the recruiting base is strong, South Florida will always have a tough time beating out the Big Three — Florida, Florida State and Miami — for top prospects.

Final Verdict: Many view South Florida as an emerging national power. The school does have a ton of potential, but it is difficult to get overly excited about a program that is the fourth-most relevant program in its own state — even if that state is Florida.

49. Illinois

Pros: Illinois’ local recruiting base — from Chicago down into St. Louis — is among the best in the Big Ten. The facilities (weight room, practice facility, locker rooms, etc.) are strong, and the stadium recently received a $200 million upgrade.

Cons: Basketball is — and will always be — the top sport at Illinois. Football, for whatever reason, has never been much of a threat to break into the upper echelon of the league. Also, the fan support at Illinois isn’t as strong as the top programs in the Big Ten. Last year, the Illini averaged only 45,564 fans per game.

Final Verdict: Despite being the fifth most populous state, Illinois checks in No. 8 in our list of the Big Ten’s most attractive coaching positions. There is a lot to like about the job, but there are also reasons why the school has only won three Big Ten titles (two outright) since the early 1960s.

50. Colorado

Pros: Colorado lacks the tradition of some of the Pac-12 powers, but this program has enjoyed strong pockets of success over the past 25 years. The Buffs won three Big Eight championships in a row from 1989-91 (along with a national title in ’90), and they won four Big 12 North titles in the 2000s. With the right coach in place, this is a school that will attract quality players.

Cons: The facilities at Colorado lag behind most BCS conference schools, and the school’s commitment to athletics has been questioned in recent years. The Buffaloes recently announced a $170 million facility upgrade proposal, which is a step in the right direction. Also, the CU fans can be fickle; Folsom Field (53,750) has rarely been filled to capacity over the past few seasons.

Final Analysis: Three different coaches have won 10 games in a season since 1990, so it’s possible to win big at Colorado. But until the school makes a significant commitment to the program — which it claims to be doing now — CU cannot be considered an elite job.

51. Baylor

Baylor’s recruiting base has always made it an intriguing job. There is more than enough talent in the state to stock a talented roster, even with Texas and Texas A&M grabbing most of the elite players. The school also will open a new, 45,000-seat Stadium on Brazos River in 2014. However, Baylor will always be down low on the food chain among the FBS schools in the state of Texas. As a small, private school, support will always be an issue. Art Briles is proving that Baylor can compete in the Big 12, as he has led the Bears to their best three-year stretch (25 wins) in program history. The new stadium and the university’s commitment to the program should allow Baylor to remain relevant if Briles ever bolts for greener pastures.

52. Kentucky

Kentucky has announced desperately needed facilities upgrades, while the pay scale for new head coach Mark Stoops' staff is significantly higher. So on the surface it appears the school is finally making a commitment to the football program. That said, pigskin will always take a backseat to basketball at UK and unilke other SEC members, the Bluegrass State doesn't boast near the quantity of elite high school prospects. Those two disadvantages alone make winning consistently difficult at Kentucky, especially considering it's in the nation's toughest and most cut-throat conference.

53. Purdue

Purdue is a program that has experienced consistent success in the Big Ten during the BCS era. The Boilermakers went 48–32 in league play during the first 10 years of the Joe Tiller era. Support is solid when the program is winning. This is not easy, however, because the Boilermakers have to compete with two other BCS programs for the top talent within its own borders to begin with. Purdue also doesn't have much margin for error when it comes to sustained success, as evidenced by the difference between the tenure of Tiller and the man who succeeded him, Danny Hope (22-27, 13-19 in Big Ten from 2009-12).

54. Cincinnati

Cincinnati is in a prime location when it comes to recruiting, being in Ohio and relativel close to Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. Despite the program's recent success, fan support has remained tepid at best and despite the school's best efforts, the Bearcats appear stuck in the Big East for the forseeable future. Still, this is a place where the right man can win, as four different coaches have won at least seven games twice since 2000.

55. Mississippi State

Mississippi State has shown an ability to field a competitive team on a semi-regular basis in the past two decades. The Bulldogs have had a winning overall record in 11 of the 22 seasons since the first wave of SEC expansion in 1991. Support for Mississippi State football is at an all-time high; the Bulldogs averaged 55,648 (100.99 percent of capacity) at Davis Wade Stadium last season. Starkville, however, isn't necessarily viewed as a prime desination for the top prospects, especially with SEC West foes Alabama, Auburn and LSU, not to mention in-state rival Ole Miss, always lurking nearby. One could argue that this is the toughest job in the SEC West, if not the entire SEC.

56. Minnesota

The Gophers have a relatively new stadium that provided a significant upgrade from the outdated Metrodome. As the only Division I (FBS or FCS) program in the state, Minnesota should land its fare share of in-state recruits. On the other hand, the school's location and climate make it a tough sell for out-of-state prospects. The Gophers also don't have much of an established football tradition and seems to be one of the few Big Ten schools with a clearly defined ceiling when it comes to success. Think five-to-eight wins, and not division or conference championships.

57. Oregon State

Thanks in large part to Mike Riley, Oregon State has shown that it can compete and remain relvelant in the Pac-12 for an extended period of time. That does not change the fact, however, that it's a distant second within its own state, as Oregon holds every advantage, most notably attractiveness to highly rated recruits and facilities. The Beavers simply can't compete on these levels with the Nike-funded Ducks, which also puts them behind the pecking order in the Pac-12.

58. Utah

Prior to its move to the Pac-12, Utah had emerged as one of the few non-BCS conference teams that was able to compete on the national scene. Now, as a member of the Pac-12 South — along with USC and UCLA — the Utes should enjoy success recruiting in Southern California. Utah still has to compete with BYU for their state's top high school talent, and while the Utes changed their profile with the move to the Pac-12, it's tough to envision this program being a more desirable destination than USC, UCLA and both of the Arizona schools.

59. Syracuse

As recently as the early 2000s, Syracuse was a top-25 program. The Orangemen, as they were called then, won nine games or more eight times in a 15-year span from 1987-2001. Since that span, however, the program has gone the other direction, managing just two winning seasons in the past 11. Support has dwindled as well, and even though Syracuse will be moving into the ACC this fall, a new conference home doesn't "fix" the Orange's other primary disadvantages — location and its home recruiting base.

60. Kansas State

Kansas State has averaged 8.5 wins over the past 20 years and been ranked in the final AP poll 12 times over that span. Support for K-State football is very strong, especially when the team is winning. The only problem is that one man — Bill Snyder — has been able to win at Kansas State. Over two different tenures, Snyder has been able to overcome a bunch of hurdles — poor recruiting base, remote location, lack of tradition prior to the 1990s — to win at a high level on a consistent basis. Can another coach succeed in Manhattan? We’ll find out soon enough. Snyder turns 74 this fall.

61. Kansas

While it’s difficult to win at Kansas, it can be done. The school has invested in facilities over the past decade. If only the fan base could get a little more behind the football team, as the crowd and atmosphere at Phog Allen Fieldhouse doesn't carry over to Memorial Stadium. That's the downside of being at a basketball school and i doesn't help that the Jayhawks usually come up second to in-state rival Kansas State when it comes to local high-level recruits. These are the main reasons why no coach since the 1950s has enjoyed sustained success in Lawrence.

62. Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is an elite academic institution located in a great city. The school is spending more money than ever on athletics, from salaries for the coaching staff to the new indoor practice facility. Even though Vanderiblt is in the SEC, the pressure to win isn't near as great as elsewhere in the conference. Because of its academic reputation and the fact it is a private school, the Commodores will remain low on the totem pole in the SEC in terms of fan base and overall support. The good news is that James Franklin is proving that a recruit can have the best of both worlds — get a Vanderbilt education and win games in the nation’s best conference. Still, this is a very difficult job, maybe the toughest of any school in an AQ conference.

63. Northwestern

As the only private school in the Big Ten, Northwestern can be an attractive option for a top-flight recruit from the Midwest who is looking for an elite academic institution. The university has recently approved a $225-250 million facilities overhaul for all of the athletic programs. Football will no doubt be a huge beneficiary. However, no matter how much money is pumped into the program, Northwestern will always struggle to keep up with the elite programs in the Big Ten, from a recruiting and facilities standpoint. You can win at Northwestern, but it will always be a challenge.

64. Iowa State

Cyclone fans sure love Iowa State football. Last season, the school averaged 55,274 fans per game (100.5 percent of capacity) at Jack Trice Stadium. Not bad for a school that has had one winning season since 2005. It still trails in-state rival Iowa when it comes to attracting the Hawkeye State's top recruits. Competing in the Big 12, both on the field and off of it, with the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and others, doesn't help matters. There’s a reason the school has not won more than seven games in consecutive seasons since the late 1970s.

65. Washington State

The fact that the Cougars won 10 games in three straight seasons (2001-03) and played in the Rose Bowl in 2002 proves that you can win games in Pullman. It does not change, however, the fact that Pullman is the most remote outpost in the Pac-12. It can be difficult to attract prospects from California to play collegiately in Eastern Washington. The school also has upgraded facilities in recent years, but it still lags behind most schools in the conference on this front.

66. Houston
Houston is an elite area for high school talent, as is the whole state of Texas, but there also are plenty of mouths to feed and the Cougars are near the back of the line.

67. UCF
UCF is located in the heart of the talent-rich Sunshine State and near the bottom of the pecking order after Florida, Florida State, Miami and South Florida.

68. Boston College
Boston College was one of the most consistent programs in the nation from the late 1990s through the late 2000s, but times have changed and the schoool's northern location hinders its chances of a turnaround.

69. Fresno State
Prime location makes it the second-best job in the Mountain West.

After a Daytona 500 that catered to the more intelligent teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage — track position and strategy reigned supreme — one of the two duels this season in the Arizona desert greets America’s best drivers on Sunday.

There are a lot of unknowns with the Gen-6 car taking to a surface and configuration at Phoenix International Raceway that is just three races old. What we do know, and what we could anticipate, is revealed in the numbers.

78.8% Following his win in the Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson currently has a 78.8 percent chance of making the Chase, the highest percentage in the series through one race.

And that’s a conservative figure based on past averages. If Johnson and the No. 48 team out-performs their past selves at a few tracks during the 26-race “regular season,” then they are even more of a lock to clinch a playoff berth for the 10th time in 10 years. One such track is Phoenix, where, when we last saw Johnson, he crashed in the penultimate race of last year’s Chase that served as the first blow of the self inflicted 1-2 punch that knocked him out of contention for the championship. He is followed by Brad Keselowski (68.7 percent) and Greg Biffle (53.1 percent) in the current race to the Chase.

7.500 According to PEER (Production in Equal Equipment Rating), Denny Hamlin, the winner of last year’s race, is the most productive driver at Phoenix, heading into the weekend with a 7.500.

Hamlin and crew chief Darian Grubb scored a win in their second race together as a driver-crew chief combination, leading the last 59 laps en route to the win in 2012. Additionally, he finished second there last fall after leading 46 laps and averaging a third-place running position.

Baseball is filled with amazing statistics, bizarre coincidences and lots of oddball occurrences. Last season was no exception, so we pulled together the best of the best and put them into this handy Calendar of MLB Weirdness. Enjoy!

APRIL

April 6 Carlos Pena, who was a combined 4-for-46 off CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera, belts a grand slam off the former and the game-ending hit against the latter.

April 7Prince Fielder hits his 232nd home run in his 1,000th game — exactly the same number poppa Cecil had in his first 1,000 games.

April 7 Ronny Paulino goes 4-for-4 in his Orioles debut, making him 13-for-17 in his initial starts with his four teams.

April 7 Jordan Schafer, who wasn’t yet born when Jamie Moyer allowed his first leadoff home run, tags Moyer for a leadoff home run.

April 8 For the first time in 46 years, the Yankees and Red Sox both start 0–3.

April 10 Yu Darvish is the first pitcher since 1910 to win a major league debut despite allowing at least four first-inning runs.

April 11 Jonny Gomes absorbs a walk-off hit-by-pitch in extra innings for the second season in a row.

April 13 The White Sox remain unbeaten in eight tries at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday the 13ths.

April 17 The Cardinals manufacture a walk-off run in the 10th against the Reds without an official at-bat (walk, sac bunt, intentional walk, walk sac fly).

April 18 Bartolo Colon throws 38 straight strikes during his eight shutout innings of the Angels.

April 19 Six batters into their game, the Astros already have lashed three triples in the same inning for the first time in their history.

April 20 The Blue Jays (who hadn’t turned one in 33 years) turn a triple play against the Royals (who hadn’t hit into one in 33 years).

April 20 Two of the four Red Sox pitchers (Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett) ever to allow five home runs in a game do so in a span of 12 days.

April 26 The Mets beat the Marlins in walk-off fashion after fielding a starting lineup consisting entirely of homegrown talent for the first time in 40 years.

MAY

May 2 Two 40-year-olds — Chipper Jones and Jason Giambi — stroke walk-off home runs on the same day.

May 5 Twenty-eight games into their season, the Angels finally get a home run from a first baseman — Mark Trumbo, not Albert Pujols.

May 8 A foul ball bounces into the cup of a Padres fan, who chugs his beer before removing it.

May 8After not stealing a base in his first 219 major league games, catcher John Baker swipes one in the seventh and eighth innings.

May 8 Rod Barajas (hitting .127) and Brandon Inge (.128) rise up for walk-off home runs.

May 11 Brandon Inge (recently claimed off waivers by Oakland after starting 2-for-20 in Detroit) drives in exactly four runs for the fourth time in five games, giving him 16 RBIs on five hits.

May 18 The Elias Sports Bureau points out that Kevin Millwood is the third pitcher this season (following Barry Zito and Jerome Williams) to throw a shutout at least eight years after his previous one — something that had happened only once in the previous half-century.

May 20 All 15 of Max Scherzer’s strikeouts in seven innings against the Pirates are swinging.

May 21 Jamie Moyer pitches in his 50th different ballpark.

May 24 Michael Bourn’s three home runs in his last 11 at-bats are one more than he’d hit in his previous 925.

May 27 For the second time this month, a team’s only five hits are solo home runs.

May 28 For just the fifth time in history (but the second time in nine days), a pitcher (Chris Sale, duplicating Max Scherzer’s feat) strikes out 15 batters and allows as few as five base runners in a start of 7.1 innings or less.

May 29 Reds third baseman Todd Frazier saves the life of a restaurant patron with the Heimlich maneuver, then hacks up a double and a triple in a win over the Pirates.

JUNE

June 6 On a day they play each other, the Brewers and Cubs each draft their manager’s son.

June 12 The Giants’ 16-game streak without a home run at home — the longest in baseball since 1983 — is ended by a pitcher, Madison Bumgarner.

June 13 Of the night’s four shutouts, three are by a 1–0 score and the other is Matt Cain’s perfect game.

June 13 Bryce Harper’s camp applies for a patent on the phrase, “That’s a clown question, bro.”

June 15 Drew Hutchison is the third pitcher in the same turn through the Toronto rotation to land on the DL after a mid-game injury, two of which are season-ending.

June 17 Two games last 15 innings just one day after two had extended to 14, marking the first time in history there were a pair of at least that length on successive days.

June 24 Waiver claim Brooks Conrad collects as many hits (three) and just one fewer RBIs (five) in his first 10 innings as a Ray as he did in 25 games as a Brewer.

June 24 The White Sox must remove Brent Lillibridge in the 10th inning because he’s just been traded to Boston, and the player who replaces him (Eduardo Escobar) lines a walk-off single.

June 27 Daniel Murphy, after not homering in 103 games over nearly 50 weeks, takes Cubs pitchers deep in consecutive innings.

June 27 The Yankees put 428 career pitching victories (Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia) on the DL on the same day.

June 27 The Dodgers are shut out by the Giants for the third straight day, making it the first time in the 129-year history of the franchise they failed to score in a three-game series.

June 27 The Diamondbacks suspend TV play-by-play man Deron Sutton, reportedly for refusing to wear the team’s logo shirt instead of a suit on air.

JULY

July 1 The Dodgers end a streak of 66 innings in which they never lead.

July 2 Two consecutive Pirates clank home runs off the right field foul pole at PNC Park.

July 9 Home Run Derby captains Matt Kemp and Robinson Cano combine to clear the fence one time in the annual competition.

July 13 Zack Greinke is the first pitcher since 1917 to start three consecutive games for his team, yet he pitches a total of only eight innings while allowing 10 runs. (Later, he misses his next start due to fatigue.)

July 21 On the same day the Cardinals score all 12 of their runs against the Cubs in one inning, the Pirates become the first team in 14 years to tally four times in an inning without a hit.

July 21 Starting pitchers Matt Cain and Cole Hamels take each other deep in the same inning.

July 22 The A’s make it eight walk-off wins in their last 16 home games.

July 23 One day after losing by five runs in extra innings, the Mets lose by six runs in extra innings.

July 24 Cliff Lee, a former AL leader in lowest home run frequency, becomes the first starter in 24 years to serve up four in one game after the sixth inning.

July 25 Tommy Hanson, who throws 108 pitches in five innings against the Marlins, allows three hits (all doubles — two of them leadoff), seven walks, seven stolen bases — and one run.

July 25 The Phillies complete a three-game sweep of the Brewers, with each victory by a 7–6 score.

July 30 On their 17th try, the Braves finally win a game on a Monday, ending a streak that had lasted nearly a full year.

AUGUST

Aug. 1 The Mets fail to score during an inning in which they draw three walks, get hit by a pitch and steal three bases.

Aug. 1 A Daytona Cubs intern is ejected from the game for playing “Three Blind Mice” over the PA system after a questionable call.

Aug. 2 Padres catcher Eddy Rodriguez, who was hitting .223 with 100 strikeouts in 87 Class-A games, not only homers in his first big-league at-bat, but also does it against Johnny Cueto, who had not allowed one to a right-handed hitter in 169 innings.

Aug. 3 The brothers Upton, B.J. and Justin, hit their 100th home runs within less than an hour of each other.

Aug. 5 On the day Oakland’s streak of 10 straight one-run wins concludes, the Orioles extend theirs to 10.

Aug. 6 Ichiro hits safely in his first dozen games as a Yankee, with exactly one knock in each contest.

Aug. 9 Joaquin Benoit surrenders his ninth hit since the All-Star break, seven of which are home runs.

Aug. 10 The same fan — a 15-year-old who lives in the United Arab Emirates — catches both of Manny Machado’s first two major league home runs.

Aug. 11 After not having a walk-off win all year, with 131 of them by other teams in the interim, the Astros celebrate one for the second straight day.

Aug. 15 Houston’s Jose Altuve singles three times, each followed by a Marwin Gonzalez double play.

Aug. 19 Immediately after being “perfect gamed” by Felix Hernandez, the Rays set a team record for a four-game series by scoring 37 runs against the Angels.

Aug. 25 Carlos Quentin sets the single-season hit-by-pitch record for a second franchise in back-to-back years.

Aug. 29 Shelley Duncan ends his career in Cleveland having posted exactly 11 home runs and 29 runs scored in each of his three seasons there.

Aug. 31 The Rays conclude August having lost 12 of 14 one-run games since Friday the 13th in July, and as the first AL team since 1955 to drop four 1–0 contests in a calendar month.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 1 After no game in more than a year had ended with an outfielder gunning down the tying run at the plate, Toronto and Tampa Bay do it to each other on back-to-back nights.

Sept. 1 Adrian Beltre is now batting .500 over his last 10 games, four of which have been hitless.

Sept. 4 White Sox outfielder Dewayne Wise enters a game in the fifth inning of an eventual 18–9 loss to the Twins. Before he’s through, he not only cracks the sixth and franchise-record 10th doubles of the game, but also pitches scoreless relief for his second different team this season.

Sept. 6 The Elias Sports Bureau reports that the Braves are the first team since 1984 to win 1–0 games on successive days in which the only run is unearned.

Sept. 11 Tampa Bay loses a game by more than two runs for the first time in 38 days.

Sept. 15 Both Anibal Sanchez and Francisco Liriano — each of whom has pitched a no-hitter before — lose their chance for another with two outs in the seventh inning, but win by a score of 5–3.

Sept. 16 Chris Young of the Mets gives up back-to-back home runs in the very inning that earns him $250,000 for fulfilling his 100-inning incentive clause.

Sept. 18 Miguel Olivo, who had drawn four unintentional walks in his previous 384 plate appearances dating to August 2011, is free-passed three times in Seattle’s 18-inning loss.

Sept. 20 The Mets fail to score four runs for the 16th consecutive home game — the longest streak of futility by an NL team since 1908.

Sept. 22 The A’s lose to the Yankees despite going deep three times in the 13th inning.

Sept. 25 The Mariners get themselves off a 1-for-47 schneid with runners in scoring position.

OCTOBER

Oct. 2 Six days after Felix Hernandez becomes the first pitcher ever to fan Albert Pujols three times in the same game, teammate Hisashi Iwakuma replicates the feat.

Oct. 3 Despite not hitting a triple for the third season out of the last four, Miguel Cabrera wins the “Triple” Crown.

Oct. 10 Raul Ibanez of the Yankees becomes the first player in major league history to hit two home runs in a postseason game in which he did not start.

Oct. 12 A Washington-based team plays a winner-take-all postseason game for the first time since 1925 and, just as it did 87 years ago, blows a 6–3 lead and loses 9–7.

Want more baseball? Check out Athlon Sports' 2013 Baseball Annual for the most complete preview available. Order your copy now!

With the release of the 2013 ACC schedules, the countdown for the upcoming college football season has officially started. The ACC has expanded by two teams since last season, as Pittsburgh and Syracuse will join the conference from the Big East. And the conference will undergo another change next year, with Louisville replacing Maryland (leaving for the Big Ten) in 2014.

The ACC is currently only the second BCS league to play with more than 12 teams and as conferences expand, it certainly creates some quirks in the scheduling. No team from the Coastal Division will play both Florida State and Clemson in 2013, while NC State catches a huge break in crossover play, missing Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Miami. The Wolfpack also only have to leave the state of North Carolina twice in 2013.

Athlon has combed through the ACC schedule to point out the most interesting tidbits and notes of information to know before making your 2013 predictions and travel plans.

* Thanks to some late movement on the schedule, Boston College will meet Villanova for the first time since 1980. The Eagles own a 29-15-1 series edge over the FCS Wildcats.

* If the Eagles want to make a bowl game, beating Wake Forest on Friday, Sept. 6 is a must. Both teams will likely be fighting just to get to six wins, and this game could be just enough for one team to reach that mark. The Eagles have lost their last two meetings to the Demon Deacons.

* Boston College travels to Los Angeles to play USC on the road for the first time since 1987. The Eagles last played the Trojans in the 2009 Emerald Bowl and have lost all three previous matchups to USC. Needless to say, this is a difficult road trip for new coach Steve Addazio’s team.

* After winning five straight games over Army, the Black Knights shocked Boston College 34-31 last season. As mentioned previously, getting to a bowl game will be no easy task in 2013. Consider Army a must-win game for the Eagles in 2013.

* Boston College has one of the most bizarre road trips in all of college football next season. The Eagles travel to New Mexico State on Nov. 9. Really? Shouldn’t Boston College play the Aggies in Chestnut Hill? This is the first meeting between these two schools.

* The Eagles drew one of the toughest crossover schedules in the ACC. Boston College travels to North Carolina on Oct. 26 and hosts Virginia Tech on Nov. 2.

* With Boston College and Syracuse back in the same conference, these two teams will restart their annual rivalry game. The Eagles and Orange played every year from 1971-2004 but stopped once Boston College left for the ACC. These two programs met in 2010, with the Eagles winning 16-7 in Syracuse.

* Clemson opens 2013 with an opportunity to make a huge statement. The Tigers take on Georgia, which is a chance to pickup a victory against a top-10 team, and it's also a win that could help propel Clemson into the national title discussion. These two schools are separated by less than 100 miles but have not played since 2003. The Tigers have lost five straight to the Bulldogs and trail 41-17-4 in the overall series.

* Considering the magnitude of the Week 1 matchup, it’s a good idea Clemson scheduled South Carolina State in Week 2 and has a bye in Week 3. This will allow the Tigers plenty of time to put the game with Georgia in the rearview mirror before ACC play starts.

* The Tigers open ACC play with a game at NC State on Sept. 19. This will be the second consecutive season Clemson has a matchup on Thursday night. The Wolfpack lost a handful of key players from last year, including quarterback Mike Glennon and two All-ACC selections in the secondary. NC State won the last matchup against Clemson in Raleigh in 2011 but has lost eight out of the last nine in the series.

* Clemson takes on Syracuse on Oct. 5, which is the first meeting between these two schools as ACC opponents. The Tigers and Orange have met one time, with Syracuse winning 41-0 in the 1996 Gator Bowl.

* ACC Atlantic title? Florida State and Clemson will meet on Oct. 19 in Death Valley, which will likely decide the ACC Atlantic title. The Tigers have defeated the Seminoles five consecutive times at home but trail 18-8 in the overall series. The midseason matchup is better news for Florida State, especially with a handful of new starters breaking into the lineup on defense.

* The Nov. 9 bye week comes at a perfect time for Clemson. The Tigers have back-to-back road dates against Maryland and Virginia, before playing Georgia Tech on Nov. 14. Having an off date to prepare for the Yellow Jackets is crucial, while the bye also allows Clemson a late-season chance to get healthy.

* If Clemson starts 11-0, in-state rival South Carolina will be all that stands in the way from an unbeaten regular season. The Tigers have lost the last four matchups in the series with the Gamecocks and has not won in Columbia since 2007. Clemson is a legitimate national title contender but beating South Carolina could be a major roadblock in 2013.

* Florida State will open ACC play with a Labor Day matchup at Pittsburgh. This will be the first meeting between these two teams as conference members and only the ninth overall matchup. The Panthers have a 5-3 series edge over the Seminoles, with the last game between these two programs coming on Oct. 8, 1983. Florida State’s last game on Labor Day was on Sept. 7, 2009, when it lost 38-34 to Miami.

* In order to play Pittsburgh in the season opener, Florida State was forced to shuffle its schedule. The Seminoles replaced Wofford with Bethune-Cookman, which went 9-3 in 2012.

* Florida State’s Sept. 14 meeting with Nevada will be the first matchup between these two programs. The Wolf Pack has been one of the most successful WAC/Mountain West teams in recent years, but legendary coach Chris Ault stepped down at the end of the year, and running back Stefphon Jefferson departed early to the NFL.

* ACC Atlantic on the line? Florida State and Clemson finished tied atop the division with a 7-1 record last season and another tight battle should be expected once again in 2013. The Seminoles knocked off the Tigers in Tallahassee last season but has not won in Death Valley since 2001. And we can’t forget about the bye week. Florida State catches a huge break in scheduling, as it has a bye just before playing its biggest conference game of 2013.

* Can Florida State continue its in-state dominance over Miami? The Seminoles have won four out of the last five matchups, including four in a row in Miami.

* The Seminoles catch a break in crossover scheduling, as they miss North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech from the Coastal Division.

* Taking a page from the SEC? With a key matchup against in-state rival Florida on Nov. 30, the Seminoles smartly scheduled Idaho for Nov. 23. The game against the Vandals is a guaranteed win and allows Florida State to rest some of its key players for the huge game against the Gators the following Saturday.

* In order for Maryland to get bowl eligible, it needs to sweep all four games in its non-conference schedule. The Terrapins have a good chance to accomplish that, especially with West Virginia rebuilding and Connecticut losing some key contributors from its defense.

* Maryland’s October slate isn’t easy, as the Terrapins have a road trip to Florida State, a home date against Clemson and swing games against Virginia and Wake Forest. Maryland should be favored to beat the Cavaliers and Demon Deacons, but both matchups have to be considered tossups for now.

* Part II of the Randy Edsall Bowl will take place on Sept. 14, as Maryland travels to Storrs to take on his old team (Connecticut). Edsall spent 12 years with the Huskies and led the program to one BCS bowl during that stretch. Connecticut defeated Maryland 24-21 last season, and this year’s matchup will be huge for both teams in terms of bowl eligibility.

* Maryland caught a break in crossover conference scheduling, missing Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami in 2013. The Terrapins do have to play at Virginia Tech but catching Virginia over Miami or North Carolina is a plus.

* Maryland’s meeting with Syracuse on Nov. 9 is the first between these two programs since 1994. The Orange own an 18-14-2 series edge over the Terrapins.

* Unless Maryland makes the conference championship, the Nov. 30 meeting with NC State will be the final ACC game for the Terrapins. Maryland trails NC State by one game in the overall series (33-32-4).

* For a program with a first-year coach and just eight returning starters, NC State has to be thrilled with its 2013 schedule. The Wolfpack leave North Carolina just two times – at Florida State and at Boston College – and plays a very favorable non-conference schedule. NC State catches a rebuilding Louisiana Tech team in the opener and catches a dangerous East Carolina squad late in the year, allowing Doeren and his staff plenty of time to find replacements for the departed starters.

* The Sept. 19 matchup against Clemson will be a huge test for NC State. The Tigers are expected to be a heavy favorite to win the ACC and could get in the mix for a national title. The Wolfpack aren’t expected to win that game, but a good showing as an underdog would be a nice boost for Doeren and this team in 2013.

* Considering how tight the ACC standings will likely be after the top two teams in the Atlantic Division, beating Wake Forest on Oct. 5 and Duke on Nov. 9 is crucial to NC State’s hopes of getting bowl eligible.

* The Wolfpack welcome ACC newcomer Syracuse to Raleigh on Oct. 12. NC State and the Orange have played six times, with the Wolfpack taking a 6-0 series edge. However, these two teams have not played since 1998.

* New life in the North Carolina-NC State rivalry? With two young coaches, the annual rivalry between the Tar Heels and Wolfpack should have some new energy. Larry Fedora led North Carolina to a 43-35 victory over NC State last season, while Doeren hopes to get revenge with a home victory over the Tar Heels in early November.

* ACC finale. Unless Maryland makes the conference championship, the Nov. 30 meeting with NC State will be the final ACC game for the Terrapins. Interestingly enough, the Wolfpack hold a 33-32-4 series edge over Maryland.

* Syracuse and Penn State will meet for the first time since 2009 in East Rutherford, N.J. on Aug. 31. These two teams have a storied rivalry, as they played virtually every year from 1922-1990 and met in 2008 and 2009. The Orange has lost the last four matchups in this series and trail the Nittany Lions 42-23-5 in the overall series.

* Getting to a bowl game is going to be quite a challenge for Syracuse in 2013. The Orange should beat Wagner and Tulane and could be favored against Wake Forest and Boston College but there are few guaranteed victories after that. Even road games against NC State and Maryland will be tough, and Syracuse catches Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh in crossover matchups with the Coastal Division.

* Syracuse has two back-to-back road trips on their schedule. The Orange play at NC State on Oct. 19 and then travel to Georgia Tech on Oct. 19. In November, Syracuse travels to Maryland on Nov. 9 and to Florida State on Nov. 16. Ouch.

* Syracuse and Northwestern meet on Sept. 7 for the fourth time in six seasons. The Orange are 1-2 in their last three meetings against the Wildcats, which includes a 42-41 shootout defeat in last season.

* How’s this for a welcome to the ACC? Syracuse hosts Clemson – the favorite to win the ACC – in its conference opener. The Tigers and Orange have played only once, with Syracuse winning 41-0.

* Syracuse will meet Florida State for the first time since 2005 on Nov. 16. The Orange has lost their last five meetings against the Seminoles, including a 38-14 blowout in Tallahassee in 2005. This will be the first meeting between Syracuse and Florida State as ACC members.

* From 1971-2004, Boston College and Syracuse met every season. Since the Eagles departed to the ACC, these two teams have met only once as non-conference foes (2010). With both teams back in the same conference, expect this Northeast rivalry to get some traction once again.

* This is the second time in four years that the Demon Deacons have opened with Presbyterian. Wake Forest won 53-13 in 2010, which was the first meeting between these two teams since 1945. The Demon Deacons should have little trouble with the Blue Hose on Aug. 29.

* Wake Forest’s Week 2 matchup at Boston College could be a huge game in terms of bowl eligibility. The Demon Deacons don’t have a bevy of guaranteed wins, so beating a Boston College team coming off a 2-10 record is a must. Wake Forest has won the last two games against the Eagles, including a 28-14 victory in 2012.

* Upset alert? The Demon Deacons shouldn’t overlook their Sept. 14 contest against Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhawks knocked off Arkansas last season, took Auburn to overtime and lost to Baylor by just five points. This is a dangerous team and is capable of pulling off an upset in Winston-Salem.

* The Sept. 28 matchup against Clemson should be a good barometer test for Wake Forest. The Tigers handily won last year’s game 42-13 and should be picked to win the ACC in 2013. If Wake Forest keeps things closer, it’s a good sign this team is showing signs of improvement from 2012.

* The home team in the NC State-Wake Forest series has won the last six matchups. If that trend holds true in 2013, the Demon Deacons should beat the Wolfpack in Winston-Salem.

* With Maryland headed to the Big Ten in 2014, the Oct. 19 meeting between Wake Forest and the Terrapins will likely be the last for the foreseeable future. Maryland owns a 43-17-1 series edge over the Demon Deacons.

* Wake Forest meets Syracuse on Nov. 2, which is the first meeting between these schools as conference foes. These two teams have played twice, with each program winning once.

* The Demon Deacons Oct. 26 road game against Miami is the first away game against the Hurricanes since 2008.

* For the sixth time in seven seasons, Wake Forest will close its regular season against Vanderbilt. The Commodores have a 3-2 edge in the last five games in this series.

* David Cutcliffe has a manageable start to his sixth season as the Duke head coach. Two winnable non-conference games get the season started before three straight home games with a trio of teams that lost a combined 21 games. So with four of the first five at home, Duke needs to make hay in the first month if it expects to return to a bowl game.

* The first bye week comes in the first week of October. Regardless of how the first month of the season goes, the off week comes at a great time. Should Duke struggle, it gives Cutcliffe a chance to adjust. Should the Blue Devils start well, it gives this team a break to prepare for the brutal second half of the season. More importantly, it gives the defense two weeks to prepare for the triple option (Navy on Oct 12).

* Between the bye weeks in Week 6 and Week 10, the Blue Devils will be tested in a big way. The triple option of Navy is no easy task to slow considering what they have returning at quarterback in sophomore Keenan Reynolds. Packaged with back-to-back road trips to the Commonwealth of Virginia, this middle trio of games could determine the overall direction of the 2013 season.

* Following the second bye, four straight ACC games will finish the 2013 schedule for Duke. A pair of tricky in-state road trips will be a very difficult way to end the season. Of the four finishing games, only Wake Forest missed getting enough wins to be bowl eligible a season ago.

* Is having an open date in Week 2 a good thing for Paul Johnson and Georgia Tech? A layup in Week 1 against Elon gives this bye week a wasted feel. However, a trip to Durham to play a pesky Duke team in Week 3 might say otherwise. Anytime a coach can take two weeks to prepare for a conference opponent it’s a good thing.

* And since the Yellow Jackets will play four straight brutal ACC games following the off week, Johnson is likely pleased with the timing of his first open date. Following the trip to Duke, a three-game stretch with North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Miami could set the entire tone for the season. It is very likely that these four teams are the top four teams picked in the division and any struggles early from Tech could be crushing in their quest to repeat as Coastal champs.

* The Tech-on-Tech battle has long been the most important game in the division and it should once again carry significant weight in the league. But just in case anyone overlooks this game in the summer, it has been placed in primetime on Thursday night. It means Frank Beamer has just five days to prepare for Johnson’s triple option attack.

* A long road trip to BYU comes at a horrible time for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech will have just worked its way through a brutal first month in league play before taking the long trip out West to Provo.

* With Syracuse and Pitt on the schedule, Tech is the only Coastal team that will play both new additions to the league.

* Should Tech make it through to the second bye week in contention, an ACC Championship game preview could take place in primetime in Death Valley. Georgia Tech will travel to Clemson on Thursday night to wrap-up ACC play on Nov. 14.

* The season culminates with Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate once again. Johnson needs to make a statement in the one-sided rivalry with Georgia. The Bulldogs have won four straight and 11 of the last 12. And Georgia has averaged 36.3 points per game over the last six meetings.

* All eyes in South Florida should be on Week 2 when the Florida Gators come to town in a big intrastate battle. Conference and state bragging rights are certainly on the line, but much more could be on the line. Florida always has national title aspirations but Miami could send a shot across the bow of the ACC with a huge non-conference win over an SEC power. All hands should be on deck for the Florida game with a bye week and then Savannah State following the showdown with the Gators.

* Fans of football and The Sunshine State alike should appreciate when the big boys get together and Miami will play three BCS Florida teams in 2013. In fact, three of the four non-conference games on the Canes schedule will take place against teams from the state of Florida.

* A big home game with Georgia Tech leads Miami into its second bye week. Al Golden better have his team rested and healthy following the second off week because there are no breaks after Week 7. Seven straight ACC games will end the season for Miami, as both open dates are in the first half of the year. Especially, considering how the second half begins...

* Miami will begin the second half of the season with a brutal four-game stretch that will likely determine where the Canes finish in 2013. A primetime road trip to North Carolina begins the stretch that also features a trip to Florida State and a pair of home games with Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

* Should Miami make it through that four-week span, the final three games are extremely winnable. Duke, Virginia and Pittsburgh combined for 22 losses a year ago and only Pittsburgh appears to have any upside in 2013. The season finale against the Panthers will be a primetime showcase the day after Thanksgiving.

* Larry Fedora has a tall order facing him in Week 1. Jadeveon Clowney can literally block the sun, and Fedora has to figure out a way to block him with a rebuilt offensive line. Williams-Brice Stadium will be rocking in Columbia, as ESPN will feature this game on Thursday night to kickoff the season. Best of luck, Tar Heels.

* Following the first bye week in Week 3, the Tar Heels will have to play their first two ACC games on the road against quality opponents. At both Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech will be brutal tests for the Heels. North Carolina was 2-3 on the road last year and allowed a total of 102 points to the Tech schools.

* Following those two road tests, the Heels will get another bye week before a primetime showdown with Miami on Thursday night. These two were the best teams in the division a year ago and could be the same again in 2013. This one is must-see TV on a weeknight.

* Watch out fans in Chapel Hill following the home game with Miami, because the rest of schedule is surprisingly manageable. The Tar Heels figure to be big favorites in home games with Boston College, Virginia, Old Dominion and Duke. Two road trips to NC State and Pittsburgh might be tricky but aren’t all that intimidating as the Wolfpack breaks in a new coach and Pitt will be near the end of its first ACC season.

* In perhaps one of the biggest scheduling breaks in the ACC, North Carolina won’t face either Clemson or Florida State from the Atlantic Division. Additionally, the Heels will face just three teams that won bowl games a year ago in South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Fedora will face one team that won more than eight games a year ago (South Carolina).

* Welcome to the ACC, Pittsburgh. The Panthers will have to face the defending ACC champs on Labor Day night in not only their first ACC league game, but also as their first football game as an ACC team. Paul Chryst will have his work cut out for him in the debut of his second season.

* The good news is Pittsburgh gets a bye week to lick its wounds following the game against Florida State before a fairly easy three-week stretch featuring New Mexico, Duke and Virginia. This will end the Panthers’ first month of play with three ACC games and two bye weeks under their belt before Week 7.

* Mid-to-late season non-conference games are oddly located. Old Dominion (Week 8), Navy (Week 9) and Notre Dame (Week 11) gives the Panthers three non-conference games in a four-week period deep into November. Not only could playing non-conference games halt any ACC momentum, but it features a test against the defending national championship runner-up.

* Few teams in the nation will finish with a harder stretch than the Panthers' final five games. Heinz Field will be the place to be over the final month in the ACC as North Carolina and Miami will come to town as well as the Fighting Irish. Mixed in are road trips to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, two teams that played in a bowl game last season.

* If fans in Charlottesville want fireworks, they won’t have to wait long. Two brutal non-conference games with BYU and Oregon might be the toughest two-week start for any ACC team in 2013. The odds of winning both are slim and none so a 1-1 split would be considered a great start to the year. And at least Mike London’s team gets a bye week and VMI after the Ducks come to town.

* The Cavaliers will begin conference play in unfamiliar territory. Virginia has played at Pittsburgh twice all-time and only once since 1955 — a 38-13 loss in 2006. It will actually be the third ACC game for Pittsburgh but the first for Virginia in 2013.

* October offers some chances for London to get wins. Three of four will be at home and all four are winnable. Georgia Tech might be the only opponent that is favored over the Wahoos during the month.

* Virginia better win games in October because November is nasty. Road trips to North Carolina and Miami are going to be brutal while home tests against Clemson and Virginia Tech will likely feature large point-spreads. The good news is a bye week sandwiched directly in the middle of the five-week stretch. A small consolation.

* The ACC will get yet another chance at the SEC in the kickoff classic. While Clemson won twice against the SEC a year ago, the rest of the league failed epically against the best league in America. This does not bode well for a rebuilt Hokies offensive staff against the back-to-back defending BCS national champions. Needless to say, Virginia Tech will be a huge underdog. The season might as well start in Week 2 for Frank Beamer. Two easy non-conference games should allow for plenty of wound-licking before ACC play because…

* Conference play gets started right away for the Hokies. A road trip to Georgia Tech followed by two key home tests against North Carolina and Pitt could have Virginia Tech in control of the division after just three games – or teetering on the brink of missing a bowl — much like the first half of the 2012 season. The bye week will be a welcome sight after the first six games of the season.

* Of the final five games, only one appears to be difficult. Duke and Maryland at home should be wins. Road trips to Boston College and Virginia should be victories as well. So the trip to South Beach to face Miami in Week 10 is the only marquee matchup on the schedule following the first bye week.

* Virginia Tech misses both Florida State and Clemson this year.

* The second open date comes in Week 13 on the penultimate week of the year. It isn’t the most useful location for an extra week of preparation. However, the off week means Virginia Tech could be a heavy favorite in the Commonwealth Cup.

* Hokies Athletic Director Jim Weaver requested that Virginia Tech not play a home game on Thursday night this year — something that has happened for 11 straight seasons in Blacksburg. The ACC and ESPN agreed.

We have ranked every college football program in the country, based on the attractiveness of the position from a coaching perspective. We considered many factors — tradition, facilities, location, money — but in the end, we simply asked ourselves the following question: Where would we want to coach? Today we focus on the Big Ten.

(Note: Current or impending NCAA sanctions were not a factor in these rankings.)

Ranking the Coaching Jobs in the Big Ten for 2013

1. Ohio State

Pros: There are eight FBS schools in Ohio, but there is only one school named The Ohio State University. The Buckeyes have been a consistent force on the field and in recruiting since Woody Hayes took over in the early 1950s.

Cons: Expectations are extremely high in Columbus. Consider the case of John Cooper: In 13 seasons, Cooper went 111–43–4, winning 10 games or more five times. But he went 2–10–1 against Michigan and lost his job after the 2000 season.

Final Verdict: Everything is in place to win a national championship at Ohio State. The facilities are top-notch, the fans are passionate, and the recruiting base is outstanding. Just don’t lose to Michigan.

2. Michigan

Pros: Michigan has as much tradition as any school in the country. The Wolverines have been a national power since the 1890s and they play in one of the largest venues in the country, 109,901-seat Michigan Stadium. The program’s success and the school’s academic reputation have allowed Michigan to be a major player in recruiting both in the Midwest and nationally.

Cons: Michigan is an old-school program that is very set in its ways. A coach who comes in with a new philosophy — for example, Rich Rodriguez — will have a tough time being accepted.

Final Verdict: Michigan is no doubt an elite job, but as we saw in the Rodriguez era — he won a total of 15 games in three years — you have to be the right fit to win big in Ann Arbor.

3. Penn State(Note: These rankings do not take NCAA sanctions into consideration.)

Pros: Penn State is an enormous state university in an extremely fertile recruiting area. The Nittany Lions play in the second-largest facility in the country (Beaver Stadium, capacity 107,282), and they have won two national championships in the past 30 years

Cons: Penn State recovered nicely in the latter half of the 2000s, but it’s a bit disconcerting that a program with so much going for it was capable of having four losing seasons in a five-year span like Penn State did from 2000-04. Truly elite programs should not suffer through prolonged droughts.

Final Verdict: Penn State is difficult to evaluate at this point. Sanctions are not supposed to affect these rankings, but Penn State is a unique case. This is a great job, but the program will not compete at a high level until the sanctions are over.

4. Nebraska

Pros: Strong tradition. Amazing facilities. Passionate fans. Those three things don’t guarantee success, but they are a nice place to start. The Big Ten Legends Division has some good programs — Michigan, Iowa and Michigan State — but Nebraska should be in position to compete for a division title on an annual basis.

Cons: The Huskers won three national titles in the 1990s, but the program slipped a bit over the past decade. The state of Nebraska does not produce many high-end BCS conference players each year, and the program no longer has the sex-appeal to steal elite players from the East Coast like it did in the 1970s and '80s.

Final Verdict: Nebraska is a unique coaching position. You have everything in place to win big — except a local recruiting base. How big is that hurdle? Significant but not insurmountable. The Huskers are no longer a top-10 job nationally but still very desirable.

5. Wisconsin

Pros: Wisconsin has been transformed into a football school over the past two decades. Badger faithful pack 80,321-seat Camp Randall Stadium each week and create one the best environments in the nation. Madison also is a great place to live.

Cons: The school’s local recruiting base isn’t strong; the state has not produced a national top-100 player in the past four seasons. Also, the Badgers have only been relevant on the national scene since the early 1990s. Wisconsin lacks the tradition of many of its Big Ten rivals.

Final Verdict: Barry Alvarez turned Wisconsin from a Big Ten afterthought to a significant player in college football. But the Badgers’ place as a top program is far from secure. Wisconsin, more than most of the other schools ranked in the top 25 on this list, needs the right coach in place to remain successful.

6. Michigan State

Pros: Michigan State seemingly has everything in place to be a major player in the Big Ten — great fan support (averaged 75,382 per game in ’12), good facilities, strong recruiting base and decent tradition.

Cons: Despite all of the positives listed above, Michigan State has only won one Big Ten title — in 2009 — in two decades and has only averaged 6.0 wins in the 47 seasons since claiming a share of the 1966 national championship. Also, there’s the Michigan thing: No matter how much success the Spartans enjoy, they will always be the second school in the state behind Michigan.

Final Verdict: Michigan State has been an underachiever and will never be the No. 1 program in its own state. Still, it’s a good job. If you can change the culture in East Lansing —which Mark Dantonio has apparently done — there is no reason Michigan State can’t contend for Big Ten titles on a semi-regular basis.

7. Iowa

Pros: Three key elements make Iowa an attractive job — it’s the top school in the state (sorry, Iowa State), it has a strong tradition of excellence (five Big Ten titles since 1981, two BCS bowls since ‘03) and it has great fan support (70,474 per game in ’12).

Cons: Iowa might be the top dog in the state, but the hunting grounds aren’t very fertile. To remain competitive, the Hawkeyes’ staff will always have to go into other teams’ home states to recruit.

Final Verdict: It’s difficult for a school that doesn’t have a strong local recruiting base to compete for national title. It can be done — Nebraska won three titles in the 1990s — but that is a very big hurdle to climb.

8. Illinois

Pros: Illinois’ local recruiting base — from Chicago down into St. Louis — is among the best in the Big Ten. The facilities (weight room, practice facility, locker rooms, etc.) are strong, and the stadium recently received a $200 million upgrade.

Cons: Basketball is — and will always be — the top sport at Illinois. Football, for whatever reason, has never been much of a threat to break into the upper echelon of the league. Also, the fan support at Illinois isn’t as strong as the top programs in the Big Ten. Last year, the Illini averaged only 45,564 fans per game.

Final Verdict: Despite being the fifth most populous state, Illinois checks in No. 8 in our list of the Big Ten’s most attractive coaching positions. There is a lot to like about the job, but there are also reasons why the school has only won three Big Ten titles (two outright) since the early 1960s.

9. Purdue

Pros: Purdue is a program that has experienced consistent success in the Big Ten during the BCS era. The Boilermakers went 48–32 in league play during the first 10 years of the Joe Tiller era. Support is solid when the program is winning.

Cons: Purdue is one of three BCS programs in a state that does not produce a high volume of elite recruits.

Final Verdict: Coaching is important at every school, but Purdue is the type of school that can win consistently with the right man in place (Joe Tiller) but will struggle with the wrong man (Danny Hope).

10. Minnesota

Pros: The Gophers have a relatively new stadium that provided a significant upgrade from the outdated Metrodome. As the only Division I (FBS or FCS) program in the state, Minnesota should land its fare share of in-state recruits.

Cons: Minnesota is a tough sell for out-of-state recruits. The weather is bad and the program lacks tradition.

Final Verdict: Minnesota is a program with a ceiling — and Glen Mason hit that ceiling (winning five to eight games in most seasons with an occasional 10-win breakthrough).

11. Northwestern

Pros: As the only private school in the Big Ten, Northwestern can be an attractive option for a top-flight recruit from the Midwest who is looking for an elite academic institution. The university has recently approved a $225-250 million facilities overhaul for all of the athletic programs. Football will no doubt be a huge beneficiary.

Cons: It will always be a struggle to keep up with the elite programs in the Big Ten, from a recruiting and facilities standpoint.

Final Verdict: You can win at Northwestern, but it will always be a challenge.

12. Indiana

Pros: The school has increased its commitment to the football program in recent years, most notably an upgrade in facilities that includes a new weight room, a new scoreboard and an academic center, among other things.

Cons: Basketball is king at Indiana University and in the state of Indiana. The school’s recruiting base is weak, and there are two other BCS programs in the state.

Final Verdict: There’s a reason Indiana hasn’t had back-to-back winning seasons 1993 and ’94 and hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 1967. It’s tough to win in Bloomington.

The Great American Race, for the first 180 laps, looked more like the Great American Parade. Cars ran single-file for much of the Daytona 500, content to ride in packs for fear that pulling out for a pass would leave them slower than the street cars the new Gen-6 models are supposed to resemble.

Just don’t expect Jimmie Johnson to complain. “Five-Time” saved his best for last, when the field bunched up inside the last 20 laps and the racing finally resembled some semblance of Sprint Cup competition. Out in front on the white-flag lap, he slammed on the gas pedal when cars wrecked behind him, easily outlasting teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the second Daytona 500 of his one-day Hall of Fame career.

This day, however, will never come close to those lofty standards, a disappointment for NASCAR during a time where plenty of extra eyes were paying attention. Their missed opportunity leads off this week’s “Through The Gears,” bringing you up to speed on the storylines that simmer following the 55th running of the Daytona 500.

First Gear: The Gen-6 needs work at Daytona. Serious, serious work
Daytona is NASCAR’s Super Bowl; but Sunday, the challenge for fans was nothing more than staying awake. That’s problematic. NASCAR’s Gen-6 model, while expected to improve the competition on intermediate tracks, sterilized it on a plate track. Strategy and track position — the latter an ugly word that’s castrated competition elsewhere — made its way into the restrictor plate world most thought it could never touch again. Whether or not NASCAR should be using the plates as a form of parity is a separate discussion. The fact this package caused cars to run single-file, repeatedly, with only 19 lead changes in the first 172 laps (mostly during cautions, restarts and green-flag stops) is a fact not easily ignored.

Some of that, whether NASCAR likes it or not, can be attributed to the plate package it built for the Gen-6 chassis. Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin tweeted the single-file racing was “frustrating,” attributed to the weakness of the inside line. Meanwhile, winner Johnson had another take – that the drivers themselves, sick of wrecking out of so many Russian Roulette, keep-the-pack-together-like superglue races had grown tired of actually trying to compete until the end.

“When we’re running single-file, we’re just trying to get to the finish,” Johnson said. “We’ve all crashed so many times and have torn up so much stuff … I feel for NASCAR, they’re trying to create a very competitive car.”

There’s a point to be made here, along with Saturday’s carnage that left 28 fans injured and many drivers clearly shaken. After 25 years, no matter the rules, these drivers know the name of the game. Did you know there has not been a plate race without a yellow (or several) within the last 20 laps since Daytona’s July 2004 Pepsi 400? Some of the drivers today hadn’t earned their high school diploma when that happened. That means the same type of pattern has been repeated, over and over; no matter what you do, no matter where you are on the track, as long as you stay on the lead lap a caution will bunch up the field with 20 to go (or less). After that … the real racing starts.

Competitors are smart and they adapt. So NASCAR needs to come up with a way where there’s a clear reason to race hard, from start to finish even in the sport’s Super Bowl, otherwise, drivers will just do it when it counts. NASCAR also needs to take a hard look at Johnson’s other point, how side-drafting permanently disabled the inside line Sunday. By all accounts, drivers pulled out of line and got railroaded because the Gen-6 car is so sensitive to that method of manipulation. Perhaps adjusting the spoiler will help? If NASCAR does that, it’s believed some form of tandem drafting would be the result. But as the Nationwide race showed us — before all hell broke loose — some hybrid version of that format isn’t all bad.

What NASCAR can’t have, whether the drivers like it or not, is a parade the likes of which was seen on Sunday — especially when the fan base is used to the heart attack that is Daytona’s last 20 laps. They say people are enthused about a style of racing that closely matches the early 1990s? Check the ratings: 1990 and ’91 were the two lowest-rated 500s since the race received full-time coverage in 1979.

Second Gear: Danica is the real deal … sort of
OK, raise your hand if you thought Danica would be a flop. She wasn’t. In truth, Patrick’s day surpassed most peoples’ expectations, becoming the first woman to lead a lap in the Great American Race and following it up with the best ever finish (eighth).

More importantly, Patrick remained consistent, running in the top 10 for the duration in a performance that she described perfectly: “steady.” If not for making a rookie mistake, in failing to follow Earnhardt with one lap left, she may have been on the podium.

“I definitely was a little uncertain how I was going to be able to do it pass for the win),” she said. “I think Dale did a nice job and I think he taught me something.”

What she needs to learn — much quicker — is how to get off pit road. At tracks where she won’t make track position back, like the intermediates, those mistakes could destroy a solid run. I do expect more Danica-mania to develop now, as the momentum train heads to Phoenix, where she was in position for a top-15 performance last November before a late wreck.

Third Gear: Johnson sets another milestone … to the detriment of Earnhardt Jr.
Johnson, taking advantage of track position opportunities, ran a smart, clean race. That’s expected when crew chief Chad Knaus can take center stage. He successfully kept the No. 48 out of drafting practice, gambling that this race was about who could stay in line, use pit strategy to stay up front and then make a calculated move when it counted.

The victory gives Johnson a victory in his 400th career start. In a weird quirk, five others have accomplished the feat, including Hall of Famers Lee Petty, Richard Petty, David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt. As if Johnson needing another notch on a resume that may see him reach 100 career wins (he’s at 61 now) before his career is complete.

You can’t say the same for Earnhardt, runner-up in this race for the third time in the last four years. It’s a huge win for Hendrick Motorsports, which runs the 48 and 88 out of the same shop. But you’ve got to wonder if the restrictor plate drought, now at eight-plus years, has Earnhardt wondering when it’ll finally be his turn again.

“Running second over and over is great and all for our team,” Earnhardt said. “But it’s been too long. I would love (to win), even having to go through all that (media) hassle that Jimmie is about to go through this week. It’s worth it.”

We have ranked every college football program in the country, based on the attractiveness of the position from a coaching perspective. We considered many factors — tradition, facilities, location, money — but in the end, we simply asked ourselves the following question: Where would we want to coach? Today we focus on the SEC.

(Note: Current or impending NCAA sanctions were not a factor in these rankings.)

Ranking the Coaching Jobs in the SEC for 2013

1. Florida

Pros: Location. Location. Location. Florida is a public university in a state that produces a tremendous amount of top-flight talent. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium offers one of the best atmospheres in college football, and the fan base is as rabid as there is in the nation.

Cons: Expectations are sky-high at a school that has won two national championships in the past four seasons. If you don’t win — and win big — things can turn ugly very quickly. Just ask Ron Zook.

Final Verdict: Florida presents one of the elite coaching opportunities in college football. You have everything at your disposal to compete for national championships on an annual basis. There is no excuse not to be good at Florida.

2. Alabama

Pros: Tradition. With the possible exception of Notre Dame, no school in the country has more tradition than Alabama. The Tide have won 23 SEC championships and (depending on who you ask) 15 national titles. The facilities are top-notch, the fans are passionate and the recruiting base is strong.

Cons: Coaching football at Alabama is arguably the most stressful job in collegiate athletics. It’s takes a certain kind of coach to deal with that type of scrutiny.

Final Verdict: Alabama is unquestionably one of the premier jobs in the nation. The coach who can deal with the demands of the job — like Nick Saban — will win at a very high level in Tuscaloosa.

3. Georgia

Pros: Georgia has tremendous tradition and is located in arguably the finest college town in America — Athens. The Peach State might not produce talent at the same rate as Florida, Texas or California, but metro Atlanta is always strong, and small towns such as Columbus, Valdosta and Warner Robins consistently produce elite talent.

Cons: There are really no negatives to be found at Georgia, other than the fact that you are competing in the very difficult SEC, and you have a fan base that demands you win at a high level.

Final Verdict: Georgia is a great situation, but you clearly have to have the right guy in place to win big. After Vince Dooley won the third of three straight SEC crowns in 1982, the Bulldogs went nearly two decades — and went through two more coaches — before their next league title, won by Mark Richt in 2002.

4. LSU

Pros: It’s become a bit of a cliché, but there really is nothing like being in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night in the fall. That environment is one reason the Tigers are able to recruit so well. The other? The state of Louisiana is arguably the most underrated talent producer in the nation.

Cons: LSU has so much going for it, but why have so many coaches failed to win at a high level in Baton Rouge? From 1971 though 2000, the Tigers only won one outright SEC championship, in 1986 under Bill Arnsparger.

Final Verdict: It’s hard to find a reason why LSU would not be a desirable coaching position. Sure the competition is tough and the fans are demanding, but that comes with the territory. The school has won two national titles in the past 11 seasons.

5. Texas A&M

Pros: Texas A&M’s facilities are among the very best in the nation. Kyle Field is a bit on the old side and is set to undergo a renovation, but as far as the facilities for recruiting — football complex in the south end zone, the indoor practice facility — A&M has very few rivals. The recruiting base is among the best in the country, and the Aggies, the only SEC school in the state of Texas, should be able to battle the University of Texas for the best players in the state.

Cons: Even with so much going for it, Texas A&M has had trouble sustaining success throughout its history.

Final Verdict: Texas A&M is a very intriguing position. It has everything you would want in a job — great facilities, strong following, tremendous recruiting base — but the competition in the SEC West is fierce. If you win at A&M, you will have earned it.

6. Auburn

Pros: Auburn and Georgia are the only two schools in the SEC with at least five winning conference seasons in each of the past four decades. Clearly, this program can be a consistent winner in the nation’s most difficult conference.

Cons: Auburn is a state school with a great following, but it will always be No. 2 in Alabama behind the Crimson Tide from Tuscaloosa.

Final Verdict: If your ego can handle being the second most important coach in the state, then Auburn can be a destination job. The school — with its fine tradition, strong facilities and outstanding recruiting base — has proven over time that it can compete on a national level. The Tigers, after all, won the BCS crown in 2010.

7. Tennessee

Pros: Who wouldn’t want to recruit to picturesque Neyland Stadium, with its 100,000-plus orange-clad zealots cheering on the Vols each week? And while Tennessee has struggled in recent years, the program enjoyed tremendous success in the not-too-distant past. From 1989-2001, the Vols went 80–20–1 in the SEC and claimed four league titles. During that span, they were ranked in the final top 10 of the AP poll seven times.

Cons: The Vols must recruit nationally because the state of Tennessee does not produce enough BCS conference players to stock the school’s roster. This is not a concern for UT’s chief SEC rivals Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn and Alabama.

Final Verdict: Tennessee is a great place to coach, but the Vols have slipped down the SEC food chain over the past decade. We now have Tennessee seventh on the list in the league.

8. South Carolina

Pros: South Carolina is home to arguably the most loyal fans in the nation. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Gamecock fans routinely filled 80,000-seat Williams Brice Stadium even though their team averaged only six wins per season. In addition, the facilities are great, and the recruiting base is strong.

Cons: Steve Spurrier has broken through in recent years, but South Carolina football has historically been one of the nation’s most underachieving programs.

Final Verdict: South Carolina has won 17 SEC games in the past three seasons — by far its best stretch since joining the league — but we’re still not ready to put this program on the same level as SEC royalty like Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Florida.

9. Arkansas

Pros: Recently renovated Reynolds Razorback Stadium — with its 76,000 seats and 30x107-foot LED video screen — is one of the most underrated venues in the nation. Arkansas is the only BCS program in the state, giving the school an advantage in recruiting homegrown talent.

Cons: The Hogs have found it tough to win consistently since bolting the Southwest Conference for the SEC in the early 1990s. Arkansas is 85-89-2 in the SEC and has only once had back-to-back winning seasons in the league.

Final Verdict: Arkansas is quite similar to several of the non-elite coaching positions in the SEC. It’s a good job, but it’s not a destination job for a coach with national title aspirations.

10. Ole Miss

Pros: Historically, Mississippi produces as many Division I prospects per capita as any state in the nation. There is plenty of competition for these recruits (Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU, etc.), but a good coach will be able to keep the Rebels stocked with solid talent. Support for Rebel football is also very strong; the Rebs averaged 57,066 per game in 2012. Also, Ole Miss’ facilities have improved tremendously in the past five years.

Cons: You have to go back to the early 1960s to find a time in which Ole Miss was a major player in the SEC. The Rebels haven’t won a league title since 1963, and they are only team in the West (outside of SEC West newcomer Texas A&M) that has not played in an SEC Championship Game.

Final Verdict: Ole Miss has made the commitment to its football program, but it takes more than a commitment — and more than one top-10 recruiting class — to beat the elite SEC programs on a consistent basis. This job has great potential, but Ole Miss hasn’t “arrived” yet.

11. Missouri

Pros: Missouri has an underrated recruiting base. There is a solid crop of instate talent every year, and Mizzou does a decent job landing players from Texas and Illinois.

Cons: It’s been tough to win consistently at Missouri. Dating back to the days of the Big Eight, the Tigers have only had seven winning seasons in league play since 1983. The SEC East presents several huge challenges on an annual basis.

Final Verdict: Missouri is a good job — but not a great job. You can average eight wins per season and go to decent bowl games, but the Tigers aren’t much of a threat to contend for SEC titles.

12. Kentucky

Pros: Kentucky, after firing Joker Phillips, has made a commitment to football. The school has announced facilities upgrades, and the pay scale for the new staff is significantly higher. And while the state of Kentucky doesn’t produce many SEC-level players, Kentucky should be able to recruit nearby Ohio and still can dip into Georgia and Florida because of the school’s membership in the SEC.

Cons: Football, while important, will always be the No. 2 sport at Kentucky. And even though the school has some recruiting advantages — see above — it’s tough to win at a high level in the SEC when you can’t depend on stocking your roster with in-state talent.

Final Verdict: The level of competition in the SEC is better than ever. For example, Vanderbilt has climbed ahead of UK — for now — on the food chain. Mark Stoops is off to a great start, but it will difficult to win consistently at Kentucky.

13. Mississippi State

Pros: Mississippi State has shown an ability to field a competitive team on a semi-regular basis in the past two decades. The Bulldogs have had a winning overall record in 11 of the 22 seasons since the first wave of SEC expansion in 1991. That’s not great, but it’s better than most college football fans might expect. Support for Mississippi State football is at an all-time high; the Bulldogs averaged 55,648 (100.99 percent of capacity) at Davis Wade Stadium last season.

Cons: Recruiting top players to Starkville can be difficult. Not only does MSU have to battle Ole Miss for the best of the best in the state, but Alabama, Auburn and LSU are almost always in play for Mississippi’s top players.

Final Verdict: This is the toughest job in the SEC West — and maybe the entire league. Good coaches have shown the ability to remain relevant in the league, but it’s difficult to envision a scenario in which Mississippi State can win a division that includes Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn.

14. Vanderbilt

Pros: Vanderbilt is an elite academic institution located in a great city. The school is spending more money than ever on athletics, from salaries for the coaching staff to the new indoor practice facility. While there is pressure to win at every school, expectations — even now after a nine-win season — will never be as great as other programs in the league. You aren’t going to get fired at Vanderbilt after one bad season.

Cons: Even with the recent upgrades, Vanderbilt trails the rest of the SEC in the facilities arms race. As the only private school in the SEC, the Commodores have the smallest fan base in the league — by far. Also, the academic requirements make recruiting that much more difficult for a staff that already has to overcome many hurdles. There is a reason that Vanderbilt went 29 years (from 1983 through 2011) without enjoying a single winning record in the SEC.

Final Verdict: James Franklin is proving that a recruit can have the best of both worlds — get a Vanderbilt education and win games in the nation’s best conference. Still, this is a very difficult job, maybe the toughest of any school in an AQ conference.

The Daytona 500 revs up today at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for its 55th running. To help you prepare for the legendary NASCAR race, here's a look at everything (When does the race start? What's the starting lineup? Who's likely to win?) you need to know.

“Whatever. It’s a superspeedway. Daytona used to be good when it had character and the cars had to handle. That made speedway racing a little bit of fun. You could take the frustration away from qualifying and actually had to go race and make the car drive good. It’s the hub of our sport; it’s where we start our season, and there is a ton of history there. And it’s a great place and a great racetrack, but now that it’s been repaved, it just doesn’t have any luster. That said, the January test sessions will be huge for everyone with the new bodies.”

Classic Daytona Moments:

Suffice it to say that, coming into the 2002 Daytona 500, Ward Burton wasn’t on many prognosticators’ short list of potential winners.

As it turned out, he didn’t let that stop him. Burton, an underdog driver competing for an underdog Bill Davis Racing organization, beat the odds and a star-studded field to capture the 44th annual Daytona 500, in the process scoring one of the biggest upsets in the history of The Great American Race.

Burton’s path to Victory Lane was hardly conventional, however, as the slow-talking Virginia native benefited from the oddest of circumstances to take over the top spot in the final laps.

Burton, who inherited the lead when NASCAR penalized leader Sterling Marlin for hopping out of his car under a red-flag period and attempting to repair damage to his front fender, held off fellow Virginian Elliott Sadler in a three-lap dash to the checkers.

Marlin, forced to restart at the tail end of the longest line, finished eighth and was denied a third victory in the most prestigious of all stock-car races.

Matt Kenseth—Kenseth was a cool customer amid a firestorm at restrictor plate tracks in 2012. In addition to winning his Duel qualifying race and the Daytona 500, he was also strong in the summer’s 400-miler, leading 89 laps en route to a third-place finish.

Kyle Busch—His showings in last year’s 500 (17th) and 400 (24th) weren’t all that impressive, but he averaged running positions of 14th and eighth, respectively, in the two races and provided sparks in the season-opening Shootout, driving a damaged race car to an exciting victory.

Sleeper

Jamie McMurray—The 2010 Daytona 500 winner ranked 16th out of 50 drivers on MotorsportsAnalytic.com’s plate track PEER rankings in 2012; however, in a season in which passing at Daytona came at a premium, McMurray registered 359 passes for positions within the top 15.

Runs on Seven Cylinders

Jimmie Johnson—Johnson suffered only three terminal crashes in 2012, and two of them came at Daytona. The five-time champion seems snakebitten on plate tracks as of late, but his equipment is always capable of excelling within the draft.

Why can’t the NCAA be more consistent? It seems like there is no rhyme or reason to the penalties handed out.

— James B. Anderson, Apopka, Fla.

James, one of the biggest complaints about the NCAA is inconsistency in the enforcement process, with good reason. Some schools, players and coaches have the book thrown at them, while others seem to skate by. From an organizational standpoint, there’s not much the NCAA can do. The NCAA can only compel people who want to be involved — and want to stay involved — with college athletics to work with the enforcement process. This is the root of the inconsistencies: Unless former players and coaches or outside influences want to work with the NCAA or provide testimony in a legal setting, the NCAA is out of luck. If the NCAA can’t investigate a case, it can’t punish a school. It’s that simple. If there’s one spot where the NCAA has been consistent, however, it has been punishing those who lie to or mislead NCAA investigators. This has been the downfall for coaches (Bruce Pearl) and players (Dez Bryant). If NCAA penalties are going to be more consistent, something structurally will have to change.

With the NCAA’s recent admission about botching the investigation at Miami, is it possible that they will revisit the penalties handed down to Penn State and USC?

— Nick Harrison, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Nick, that’s a good question, but it’s highly unlikely the NCAA will revisit any of its past decisions, specifically the high-profile cases at USC and Penn State. The Miami case was unique; the NCAA specifically admitted to a “severe case of improper conduct” while investigating allegations of wrongdoing involving the school’s football and men’s basketball programs. There was no specific admission of improper investigative techniques at USC (though there is an ongoing lawsuit about the case), and there was no actual NCAA investigation at Penn State. The NCAA used the findings of the independent Freeh Report to determine the sanctions at Penn State. So while it’s likely there will be significant changes to the methodology employed by the NCAA in the future, there is no evidence to suggest the organization will retroactively change any of its previous decisions.

“Whatever. It’s a superspeedway. Daytona used to be good when it had character and the cars had to handle. That made speedway racing a little bit of fun. You could take the frustration away from qualifying and actually had to go race and make the car drive good. It’s the hub of our sport; it’s where we start our season, and there is a ton of history there. And it’s a great place and a great racetrack, but now that it’s been repaved, it just doesn’t have any luster. That said, the January test sessions will be huge for everyone with the new bodies.”

Classic Daytona Moments:

Suffice it to say that, coming into the 2002 Daytona 500, Ward Burton wasn’t on many prognosticators’ short list of potential winners.

As it turned out, he didn’t let that stop him. Burton, an underdog driver competing for an underdog Bill Davis Racing organization, beat the odds and a star-studded field to capture the 44th annual Daytona 500, in the process scoring one of the biggest upsets in the history of The Great American Race.

Burton’s path to Victory Lane was hardly conventional, however, as the slow-talking Virginia native benefited from the oddest of circumstances to take over the top spot in the final laps.

Burton, who inherited the lead when NASCAR penalized leader Sterling Marlin for hopping out of his car under a red-flag period and attempting to repair damage to his front fender, held off fellow Virginian Elliott Sadler in a three-lap dash to the checkers.

Marlin, forced to restart at the tail end of the longest line, finished eighth and was denied a third victory in the most prestigious of all stock-car races.

Matt Kenseth—Kenseth was a cool customer amid a firestorm at restrictor plate tracks in 2012. In addition to winning his Duel qualifying race and the Daytona 500, he was also strong in the summer’s 400-miler, leading 89 laps en route to a third-place finish.

Kyle Busch—His showings in last year’s 500 (17th) and 400 (24th) weren’t all that impressive, but he averaged running positions of 14th and eighth, respectively, in the two races and provided sparks in the season-opening Shootout, driving a damaged race car to an exciting victory.

Sleeper

Jamie McMurray—The 2010 Daytona 500 winner ranked 16th out of 50 drivers on MotorsportsAnalytic.com’s plate track PEER rankings in 2012; however, in a season in which passing at Daytona came at a premium, McMurray registered 359 passes for positions within the top 15.

Runs on Seven Cylinders

Jimmie Johnson—Johnson suffered only three terminal crashes in 2012, and two of them came at Daytona. The five-time champion seems snakebitten on plate tracks as of late, but his equipment is always capable of excelling within the draft.

Sunday's Daytona 500, the 55th in the long, storied history of The Great American Race, officially has the field set. There are endless stories emanating from NASCAR's biggest event, but here are the five that will most impact Sunday's race.

No horsing around: Harvick is the favorite
There's just one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver batting 1.000 with trophies on the line in 2013: Kevin Harvick. Both of those trophies, of course, have come in the last week at Daytona where NASCAR's resident "lame duck" has scored impressive wins in the last Saturday's Sprint Unlimited and the first race of Thursday's Budweiser Duel at Daytona.

But statistics aren't the only thing supporting Harvick's case as the head-turning favorite before Sunday's race. Instead, it's the manner in which Harvick has taken control at the end of both races and held on with the grip of a vice.

In the Sprint Unlimited, Harvick first moved to the lead on lap 34 of the 75-lap, three-segment race. Just twice, and for two total laps, did the No. 29 not cross the start-finish as the designated leader. And when the heat turned up on the final lap, Harvick was able to play both lanes and make a bold, sweeping block of Greg Biffle on the backstretch of the money lap. He wasn't pressured again before the checkered flag.

Thursday was much the same in his 150-mile qualifying race, except Harvick was better. A savvy move exiting pit road pinned Trevor Bayne — the only other driver to lead Duel No. 1 — against the infield grass and then behind him as the two rushed through the gears to get up to speed. Bayne never recovered and eventually ended up in a crash while Harvick maintained his position. Even the restart wasn't a hassle for the No. 29, as Harvick managed the high then low line to keep competitors at bay and the Budweiser victory lane bath in sight.

Afterward, many of his competitors noted handling played a huge role in their ability to challenge. Harvick seemed almost incredulous at the thought.

"We never experienced any of that," Harvick said. "I think it's a matter of how you came down here with the balance of your race car."

Translation: the No. 29 is good. You can bet the field has taken notice.

Follow the leader
One factor playing into Harvick's hand as he has dominated so far is the apparent advantage held by the leader in the Gen-6 chassis when drivers form the long, snake-like lines of cars. Just seven different drivers led in the qualifying races Thursday, with just four of them leading for more than one lap.

"It's hard to pass the leader," Kyle Busch said after winning the second Duel race. "Just stay out front when you can get out front and you can run pretty good and just try to hold everybody off behind you."

That showed on the final lap of Busch's race when Kasey Kahne, with a push from Austin Dillon, edged under Matt Kenseth in second but couldn't punch past Busch. Kahne never even got alongside Busch.

"It's really tough to pass. When another car gets near your rear tire, it's like you threw the parachute out," Jimmie Johnson said.

Harvick and Jeff Gordon said Daytona now requires more planning to make a pass for position — not just finding someone to push like the recent years of tandem racing at restrictor plate tracks. The consequences can be dire.

"You've just got be precise in your moves," Harvick said. "If you get yourself in the wrong spot like we did at the beginning of the race in the middle, you just can't go anywhere. The only place you're going is backwards. It's hard to get yourself into the hole that you need when you make a mistake."

Gordon agreed, saying Daytona in 2013 feels like the Daytona of old.

"This is a real thinking race now. It comes down to the way it used to," Gordon said. "You get yourself in position. Everybody kind of rides, and thinks about what they have. You have to have your car handling pretty good, which is tough to do further back in traffic."

"You have got to have somebody go with you; you can't do it by yourself. But you can get a run, definitely. No doubt about it.”

Handling the unexpected
In order to get the kind of run Gordon is talking about, and to time it at the point where it'll put a driver in prime position to walk away with that coveted Harley J. Earl trophy, a driver has to first be in the position to make that move. In a 500-mile race, that's no easy feat.

No, the Daytona 500 isn't the same test of attrition that it once was. Parts last longer. Teams hit setups with more regularity. Drivers, typically, are smarter.

But 500 miles is still 500 miles — especially with a new car putting drivers more on the edge than they were with the stuck-to-the-track Car of Tomorrow chassis. Ryan Newman found that out during Wednesday's practice, and Denny Hamlin found it out late in the first qualifying race Thursday. Both suddenly lost control of race cars that weren't handling particularly poorly before they encountered a set of aerodynamic variables strong enough to send the car into a spin quicker than a blink of an eye. That will happen again Sunday and a driver (or drivers) in contention will pay the price.

It's a measure of the new car that has several, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., searching for answers in the two days of practice left before the 500.

"I didn't anticipate really the balance being a big deal because the car does have a good downforce package; we thought the balance would be pretty close," Earnhardt Jr. said. "(I) figured we would be fighting loose a little bit. We have to work on it."

Should drivers withstand that challenge, they'll have to be ready to execute flawless pit stops, too. Kyle Busch took the lead in the second qualifying race thanks to a call for no tires during his pit stop. Trevor Bayne lost his lead in the first race partially because he locked up his tires coming to pit road under green, necessitating a change. Busch wound up winning his qualifying race; Bayne wrecked.

"Pit crews are going to make a huge difference on Sunday," said Tony Stewart. "That's going to be the difference between which pack you come out in. You're going to have to have good stops to stay up there all day."

Like Gordon said, Sunday will feel more like Daytona of old. Carl Edwards, despite wrecking four times at Daytona, is looking forward to that.

"There will be groups of cars that separate themselves, some pit strategy and some guys that slide around and can't keep up," Edwards said. "I think it will make it a really dynamite, fun race."

Manufacturer parity
Not everyone will leave Daytona Sunday night using the words Edwards did, but you can bet one of NASCAR's three competing manufacturers will be celebrating well into the night.

For the first time since the 1990s, cars in the Sprint Cup Series actually resemble their showroom counterparts. It's been a concerted effort by NASCAR, after pressure from those manufacturers, to make those comparisons easier.

It also introduces the realistic potential of Chevrolet, Ford or Toyota having a slight advantage come race day thanks to their body design. NASCAR has worked to prevent the issues, but competitors are competitors, and competitors like to complain.

Just look at the starting lineup for Sunday's race: seven of the top-10 are Chevrolets. If the finishing order resembles that, Jack Roush's comments won't be far behind.

We have ranked every college football program in the country, based on the attractiveness of the position from a coaching perspective. We considered many factors — tradition, facilities, location, money — but in the end, we simply asked ourselves the following question: Where would we want to coach? Today we focus on the Big 12.

(Note: Current or impending NCAA sanctions were not a factor in these rankings.)

Ranking the Coaching Jobs in the Big 12 for 2013

1. Texas

Pros: Texas offers the complete package: Great school in a great town with great tradition. Also, it’s located in a state that treats high school football like a religion.

Cons: Texas has a ton going for it (see above), but the Longhorns are only 22–16 in the last three seasons. The program is not immune to losing. And while Texas is a recruiting power, there are three other AQ conference schools in the state, and virtually every other national power dips into Texas to recruit as well.

Final Verdict: It’s easier said than done — just ask David McWilliams and John Mackovic — but everything is in place to win big on a consistent basis at Texas.

2. Oklahoma

Pros: Oklahoma has been a dominant force in college football dating back to the late 1930s. The program has consistently been able to dip into Texas and steal more than its share of elite players on an annual basis. The Big 12, with no Nebraska and no conference title game, offers an easier path to a national championship for OU.

Cons: The state does not produce enough talent to stock the Sooners’ roster with the type of players needed to compete for championship. Recruiting at a high level out of state is a must.

Final Verdict: Not every coach has won big at Oklahoma — John Blake went 8–16 in three seasons (1996-98) — but it is clearly one of the marquee jobs in the nation. Winning a national championship is well within your reach.

3. Oklahoma State

Pros: T. Boone Pickens is a very wealthy man, and he’s a big fan of Oklahoma State football. As a result, the Cowboys boast some of the best facilities in the nation. And these facilities help the O-State coaches tap into a fertile recruiting ground in nearby Texas.

Cons: Since Oklahoma State joined the Big Eight in 1960, the Cowboys have finished ahead of Oklahoma five times. The school will always be the No. 2 program in the state.

Final Verdict: In a vacuum, Oklahoma State would be a wonderful place to coach, but if you have your sights set on competing for a national title on a regular basis, Stillwater might not be the place for you. There’s a reason the school has only won two conference titles since the mid-1950s.

4. West Virginia

Pros: West Virginia has an SEC feel to it. There are no pro sports to share the spotlight with in the Mountain State; the Mountaineers are the game in town.

Cons: West Virginia’s recruiting base isn’t as strong as many of its rivals in the Big 12. The state simply doesn’t produce many elite-level prospects.

Final Verdict: History tells us that West Virginia is a very good job. The school has won at least 10 games six times since 1988. But it’s not a job without its challenges. It’s a strange geographic fit in the Big 12, which presents some difficulties on the recruiting trail.

5. TCU

Pros: TCU is located in the heart of the most fertile recruiting area in the country. The Horned Frogs have vastly improved their facilities over the past five years and now are a member of one of the nation’s top conferences.

Cons: TCU is now back in a power conference, but it’s still a small private school (8,000-plus undergrads) in league comprised mostly of massive state schools. The fan base will never be as large as many of its rivals.

Final Verdict: Perhaps no school other than Boise State has improved its national profile in the past 5-10 years as much as TCU. The school is back in a power conference after bouncing around for 16 years in the mid-major ranks (WAC to C-USA to MWC). This is not an elite job — TCU will always take a back seat to Texas, Texas A&M and even Texas Tech in its own state — but it’s a much better opportunity for a coach than it was 10 years ago.

6. Texas Tech

Pros: Texas Tech has proven it can win consistently. Prior to 2010, the Red Raiders had been .500 or better in league play — SWC and Big 12 — 22 times in the previous 25 seasons. The school has recently invested in the program with an $84 million renovation to Jones AT&T Stadium.

Cons:While the program has managed to remain competitive, winning titles has been very difficult in Lubbock. The school has not won an outright conference title since 1955, when it claimed its third straight Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. Also, recruiting to Lubbock — the outpost of the Big 12 — can be a bit difficult.

Final Verdict: Texas Tech might be the fourth most attractive job in its own state, but it’s still a very good program that has proven it can’t remain relevant in the Big 12.

7. Baylor

Pros: Baylor’s recruiting base has always made it an intriguing job. There is more than enough talent in the state to stock a talented roster, even with Texas and Texas A&M grabbing most of the elite players. The school will open a new, 45,000-seat Stadium on Brazos River in 2014. It will be among the nicest facilities in the nation.

Cons: Baylor will always be down low on the food chain among the FBS schools in the state of Texas. As a small, private school, support will always be an issue. In 2012, on the heels of a 10-win season that produced a Heisman Trophy winner, Baylor only averaged 41,194 per game to rank last in the Big 12.

Final Analysis: Art Briles is proving that Baylor can compete in the Big 12. The Bears have won 25 games in the past three season — the best three-year stretch in school history. The new stadium and the university’s commitment to the program should allow Baylor to remain relevant if Briles ever bolts for greener pastures.

8. Kansas State

Pros: Kansas State has averaged 8.5 wins over the past 20 years and been ranked in the final AP poll 12 times over that span. Support for K-State football is very strong, especially when the team is winning.

Cons: Only one man has been able to win at Kansas State. This might be more of an indictment of Ron Prince than the program, but the Wildcats went a combined 9–15 in the Big 12 in the three seasons between Bill Snyder’s two tenures.

Final Analysis: It’s tough to evaluate this coaching position. There are seemingly a bunch of hurdles — poor recruiting base, remote location, lack of tradition prior to the 1990s — but Snyder has managed to win at a high level on a consistent basis. Can another coach succeed in Manhattan? We’ll find out soon enough.

9. Kansas

Pros: While it’s difficult to win at Kansas, it can be done. Glen Mason won 10 games in 1995, and Mark Mangino won 12 — and played in a BCS bowl — in 2007. The school has invested in facilities over the past decade. The weight room is top notch.

Cons: Crowds at Phog Allen Fieldhouse are arguably the best in college basketball, but support for Kansas football is not nearly as strong. Last season, the Jayhawks ranked 59th in the nation in attendance with 41,329 per game at Memorial Stadium. Also, KU is second on the food chain in a state that doesn’t produce many high-level recruits.

Final Analysis: Kansas is one of the toughest AQ conference jobs in the nation when you factor in the recruiting base, lukewarm support and the fact that no coach since the 1950s has enjoyed sustained success in Lawrence.

10. Iowa State

Pros: Cyclone fans sure love Iowa State football. Last season, the school averaged 55,274 fans per game (100.5 percent of capacity) at Jack Trice Stadium. Not bad for a school that has had one winning season since 2005.

Cons: The school is second on the food chain in a state that does not produce many FBS-caliber recruits. Dan McCarney enjoyed a nice run in the early 2000s, but it’s been very difficult to sustain success in Ames.

Final Analysis: Outside of the strong support for a passionate fan base — though that does carry significant weight — it’s difficult to find too many positives about the coaching position at Iowa State. There’s a reason the school has not won more than seven games in consecutive seasons since the late 1970s.

There has been very little that is "stock" on a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car in well over 25 years. And its maturation from "race what you drove to the track" to modern-day engineering marvel is intriguing. To illustrate this, we creating this visual history of the evolution of the stock car.

As the 2013 NASCAR season revs up this weekend at Daytona, Athlon Sports offers up our preseason Top 25 Sprint Cup Series driver rankings. Click on each driver's name for a detailed preview of what fans can expect in 2013.

Vickers won the then-Busch Series championship in 2003 with Hendrick Motorsports and is back for more a decade later, on track to rebuild his career following part-time Cup success in Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55. Facing plenty of challenges during his time up top — from health problems to an entire race organization shutting down around him — he returns older, wiser and much more experienced at age 29. Vickers will campaign Joe Gibbs Racing’s powerful No. 20 Toyota with funding from Dollar General. In the past five years, JGR has averaged 13.6 wins in the series as an organization, running in a different time zone from the rest of the field, so expect instant success here.

2. Elliott Sadler

Sadler moves from Richard Childress Racing to JGR for 2013, where he teams with Vickers. Bringing solid backing with longtime sponsor OneMain Financial, Sadler moves into JGR’s No. 11 machine, the 2012 Nationwide owner’s champion. And after runner-up performances himself in 2011 and ’12, he has the equipment to contend for the title again. But with two straight collapses down the stretch (including a self-induced wreck at Phoenix last November), is there mental toughness here to get over the hump?

3. Trevor Bayne

Illness and sponsorship woes have kept Bayne from contending full-time in any NASCAR series since his 2011 Daytona 500 shocker. But with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. moving to Sprint Cup, Bayne will get his shot with the same Roush Fenway team that’s won back-to-back titles. The pieces are in place, although for a driver who hasn’t run a grueling, nine-month schedule since being down for the count with Lyme disease, learning to balance his stamina will be crucial.

4. Austin Dillon

With Elliott Sadler gone, Dillon will be the focus of RCR’s Nationwide efforts in 2013 after a two-win rookie debut with sponsor AdvoCare. The 2011 Camping World Truck Series champion is talented and knows how to run for a title — he finished third in the Nationwide standings last season — but he doesn’t have the experience of drivers ahead of him. Some spot starts in the Cup Series in preparation for a 2014 jump may take some of his focus away, as well as a downgrade in teammate information sharing (from Sadler to Brian Scott).

5. Regan Smith

Smith will run full time for JR Motorsports in 2013. The car, essentially a Hendrick offshoot, should mean A-plus equipment. But whether JRM has been lacking in the shop or in the driver’s seat, it’s not been on par with Gibbs and Roush in this series. With Smith, a winner in the Cup Series and in this ride in last season’s Homestead finale, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his ownership team can now use deductive reasoning to find the shortcomings. A potential negative is teammate Cole Whitt, who remains without sponsorship as of late December, meaning this team could run only one car full-time.

6. Sam Hornish Jr.

Hornish will return with Penske Racing for another run at the championship after missing out on the team’s No. 22 Cup ride. The biggest challenge for this team will be a switch from Dodge to Ford. Can it adjust quickly enough after a consistent but winless 2012? Veteran Ford crew chief Greg Erwin will undoubtedly help get this group up to speed, but Hornish — despite his open-wheel prowess — still seems a step behind in the stock car cockpit. After a strong audition at the sport’s top tier last season, he still needs to refocus here to get that second chance.

Annett had his best Nationwide season to date in 2012, posting six top-5 finishes after going 0-for in his first 105 series starts. Such improvement was amazing considering that his Richard Petty Motorsports team came together just weeks before the start of the season. The team returns intact for 2013, but the biggest problem here remains RPM’s place in Ford’s pecking order; becoming the third, perhaps fourth, hand to feed makes a race win, let alone championship contention, a difficult assignment.

8. James Buescher/Justin Allgaier

Buescher won the 2012 Camping World Truck Series title for Turner Motorsports, and the team is considering campaigning him in Nationwide for 2013. Allgaier, the main driver for the organization the last two seasons, is still working on funding to return to his seat. One of them should be poised to be the leader here, and the pieces will be in place for at least a victory or two. Turner is the best of the non-Cup affiliated teams, although that's a handicap in a series where money is precious.

9. Parker Kligerman

Kligerman will man Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 77 Toyota in 2013 after a fifth-place finish in the Truck Series standings last year. The 22-year-old registered one win, eight top 5s and 15 top 10s in the 22-race slate. In its first season in the Nationwide Series last year, KBM fought mechanical issues with brothers Kurt and Kyle at the wheel. However, it built momentum as the year progressed, notching 12 top 10s in the final 13 races. Sponsorship will be an issue with this team, as Monster Energy will sponsor Kyle in his Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide efforts. However, if given a full season, Kligerman could improve substantially on this ranking.

10. Brian Scott

Scott will move to the No. 2 car of Richard Childress Racing, replacing Elliott Sadler as teammate to Austin Dillon. Yes, it's the car that contended for the championship with Sadler, but Scott drove for JGR the last two seasons and finished eighth and ninth, respectively. No amount of money replaces driver talent, and until Scott proves he can win (0-for-109 thus far) he’ll be considered a work-in-progress.

The Daytona 500 is an event that transcends its own sport, much the same as the Super Bowl, the World Series or the Masters. Over the last 54 years, a lot of history has been made just off the beach (and just on it) on Daytona International Speedway's 2.5-miles of asphalt. The following is a look at the numbers, facts and figures of NASCAR's biggest race.

This 500 … Brought to You by the Number Six
The big buzzword you’ve hear throughout Speedweeks sounds more like an education initiative than a race car. But “Gen-6” is NASCAR’s biggest change this decade, a new chassis type rolling out in 2013 designed to win back fans through a sleeker, “stock” look that make the Ford Fusions, Chevy SS models, and Toyota Camrys more like what you’d see on the street.

“The collaborative efforts between the manufacturers, teams, and NASCAR has been unparalleled in my 34 years in the sport,” crowed Robin Pemberton last month on the Gen-6’s pending Daytona debut.

Translation? NASCAR learned from the dreadful Car of Tomorrow communication debacle, where even CEO Brian France admitted recently “we made some errors” in a model that was highly criticized. This time, they’ve kept everyone from your low-level crewman, to tire specialist, to car owner, to their top R&D engineers on the same page in developing a car they believe will come out competitive.

Tandem Drafting No More
It’s the Valentine Day’s breakup even Cupid is privately cheering. In January testing, “Gen-6” hated being paired up, with even the slightest two-car bumpdraft causing instability to the point it just won’t happen in the 500. Even plate expert Dale Earnhardt Jr. started a 12-car wreck in testing by trying to lightly push Marcos Ambrose in the turns. The Sprint Unlimited witnessed the same thing, as a six-car wreck decimated the field just 15 laps into the event.

“I’m anticipating handling is going to be a little bit more of a premium than what we’ve had in the past,” says Jeff Gordon, pointing to less downforce in the rear of the car. Others claim the new drafting package is similar to what NASCAR had a decade ago, where drivers laid back to “set up” their slingshot moves inside a large pack.

A Guaranteed Photo Finish?
Say what you will about restrictor plates, first bolted onto the cars in 1988 at Daytona as a safety measure to keep fans and drivers safe. But one thing you can’t argue is that horsepower-sucking piece of metal virtually guarantees “close” finishes. 24 of the last 25 Daytona 500s, since the inception of this “plate” era have produced a margin of victory equaling roughly two car lengths or less. Only Darrell Waltrip’s fuel-mileage gamble, in 1989, was the exception to the rule (Waltrip won by a “comfortable” 7.64 seconds over Ken Schrader). No other sports’ premier event has such a track record of razor-close endings.

We have ranked every college football program in the country, based on the attractiveness of the position from a coaching perspective. We considered many factors — tradition, facilities, location, money — but in the end, we simply asked ourselves the following question: Where would we want to coach? Today we focus on the Pac-12.

(Note: Current or impending NCAA sanctions were not a factor in these rankings.)

Ranking the Coaching Jobs in the Pac-12 for 2013

1. USC

Pros: The USC coaching staff has the ability to stock its roster with elite talent without ever having to jump on a plane. The program has a rich tradition, but it doesn’t live in the past; the Trojans were dominant in the 2000s, winning seven straight Pac-10 titles (2002-08) and two national championships.

Cons: USC is the top job in L.A., but the city does have another program with tremendous potential. It doesn’t take much of a dip to lose your status as the No. 1 program in your own town.

Final Verdict: If you’re a West Coast guy, coaching the Trojans is as good as it gets. It’s the best job in the Pac-12 and you are in the most fertile recruiting area in the country.

2. Oregon

Pros: As long as Phil Knight and the University of Oregon remain in good graces, this program will be blessed with tremendous financial resources. The Nike founder and former Oregon track athlete has donated over $100 million to the school’s athletic department. In addition, the Ducks have a tremendous home field advantage at 54,00-seat Autzen Stadium, regarded as the most raucous atmosphere in the Pac-12.

Cons: Right now, it’s difficult to find many good reasons why the head coaching position at Oregon would not be attractive. The school does lack tradition, but the Ducks have averaged nine wins per season since 1994.

Final Verdict: Ten or 15 years ago, Oregon wouldn’t be nearly as high on this list, but Knight’s money, Mike Bellotti’s recruiting and Chip Kelly’s offensive wizardry transformed this program. It is now clearly one of the most-desirable positions in the country.

3. UCLA

Pros: UCLA shares the same built-in recruiting advantages as its cross-town rival USC. The 2000s were relatively lean, but UCLA won or shared three Pac-10 titles in the 1990s and four in the ‘80s.

Cons: Life can be tough when you are forced to share a city with one of the elite programs in the nation. And while the Rose Bowl is a beautiful place to play, the facility is 30 miles from campus.

Final Verdict: The Pac-12 is a very good league, but USC and Oregon are the only programs that have enjoyed sustained success in the past 15 years. The right coach can have this program in contention for conference titles on a consistent basis.

4. Washington

Pros: This is a proud program with great tradition. The Huskies won a national title in 1991 and claimed at least a share of five Pac-10 titles from 1990-2000. UW is in a great city (Seattle) and has an SEC-like following when things are going well.

Cons: The school has addressed the program’s only significant weakness — facilities — with the $250 million renovation to Husky Stadium. Washington’s in-state recruiting base is solid but lags signficantly behind the four California teams in the Pac-12.

Final Verdict: The past decade has proven that it can be difficult to win at Washington. But this is still a very good job. Is it a great job? Not anymore. But it is still a prestigious program that can attract elite talent. You can win at UW.

5. California

Pros: Cal is one of the premier public institutions in the nation located in a great area, giving the Bears a recruiting edge against most of the other schools in the Pac-12. The school is also located in the fertile recruiting area of Northern California. And the facilities, long time an issue at the school, have recently received a major upgrade.

Cons: Bears have had trouble winning consistently; they have two Pac-12 titles (none outright) since 1958.

Final Verdict: Cal is an intriguing job. There is a lot to like, but there are certain drawbacks. You can win in Berkeley, but the culture of the university will likely prevent the football program from ever reaching elite status.

6. Arizona State

Pros: The Sun Devils have made a significant investment in their facilities in recent years, with an indoor practice bubble and new weight and locker rooms. And recently, plans were announced to upgrade Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State has won three Pac-12 titles in its 30-plus years in the league (1986, ’96 and ’07). Oh, we can’t forget about the weather.

Cons: While the school has experienced pockets of success (three league titles), the Devils have strung together back-to-back winning Pac-10 seasons only once since John Cooper bolted in 1987.

Final Verdict: Arizona State offers a pretty good situation for a school without a strong local recruiting base. The weather is great and the tradition is good enough. USC, Oregon and UCLA will always the top jobs in the league, but with the right coach in place, ASU can be a consistent force in the Pac-12.

7. Arizona

Pros: Arizona has never been a Pac-10 power, but the school has more than held its own for much of its 32 years in the league. The Wildcats had 11 winning Pac-10 seasons in a 13-year stretch from 1982-94. Good coaches have shown the ability to attract talent to Tucson.

Cons: Since 1994, Arizona has only had a winning Pac-12 record twice — 1998 and 2009.

Final Verdict: Being a good recruiter is obviously important at every school, but it is of paramount importance at Arizona. The school is without many of the built-in advantages (tradition, top facilities, etc.) that exist at some of the Pac-12 programs, so you have to convince players to come to Arizona for reasons other than the weather.

8. Stanford

Pros: Stanford offers the best combination of elite academics (top 5 in U.S. News & World Report) and big-time college football. The school’s outstanding reputation allows the staff to recruit nationally.

Cons: Until recently, sustained success had been tough to achieve on The Farm. From the late 1970s through the late 2000s, Stanford was unable to string together more than two straight wining seasons. The school’s strict academic standards — even for athletes — shrinks the recruiting pool considerably.

Final Verdict: Stanford is not for everybody, but it is a great job for a coach who embraces the school’s mission. The Cardinal struggled for much of the 2000s, but this is a program that has emerged as a national power in recent years.

9. Colorado

Pros: Colorado lacks the tradition of some of the Pac-12 powers, but this program has enjoyed strong pockets of success over the past 25 years. The Buffs won three Big Eight championships in a row from 1989-91 (along with a national title in ’90), and they won four Big 12 North titles in the 2000s. With the right coach in place, this is a school that will attract quality players.

Cons: The facilities at Colorado lag behind most BCS conference schools, and the school’s commitment to athletics has been questioned in recent years. The Buffaloes recently announced a $170 million facility upgrade proposal, which is a step in the right direction. Also, the CU fans can be fickle; Folsom Field (53,750) has rarely been filled to capacity over the past few seasons.

Final Analysis: Three different coaches have won 10 games in a season since 1990, so it’s possible to win big at Colorado. But until the school makes a significant commitment to the program — which it claims to be doing now — CU cannot be considered an elite job.

10. Oregon State

Pros: This is not longer the Oregon State of the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The program has proven it can be relevant in the Pac-12 for an extended period of time.

Cons: Oregon State is No. 2 program in a state that does not produce a high volume of Pac-12-quality players. The school has improved its facilities, but they pale in comparison to what the University of Oregon — funded by Nike — has to offer.

Final Verdict: This job is far more attractive now than it was in 1997, when Mike Riley began his first stint as the boss in Corvallis. But it’s a difficult job. Almost every school in the league has more going for it — from tradition to fan base to recruiting base — than Oregon State.

11. Utah

Pros: Prior to its move to the Pac-12, Utah had emerged as one of the few non-BCS conference teams that was able to compete on the national scene. The Utes have averaged 9.2 wins over the past 10 years, highlighted by two perfect seasons punctuated by BCS bowl wins. As a member of the Pac-12 South — along with USC and UCLA — the Utes should enjoy success recruiting in Southern California.

Cons: Utah is a decent state for high school talent, but there aren’t nearly enough high-level players to stock the rosters both at Utah and BYU.

Final Verdict: Utah had carved out a niche as one of the top non-BCS programs in the nation. The move to the Pac-12, however, changed the profile of the program. It’s uncertain if Utah can be a significant player in the Pac-12 on a consistent basis. It’s tough to envision this program being a more desirable destination than USC, UCLA and both of the Arizona schools.

12. Washington State

Pros: Only four schools have played in the Rose Bowl in the past 11 seasons. USC, Oregon, Stanford and … Washington State. That, along with the fact the Cougars won 10 games in three straight seasons (2001-03) proves that you can win games in Pullman.

Cons: Pullman is the most remote outpost in the Pac-12. It can be difficult to attract prospects from California to play collegiately in Eastern Washington. The school has upgraded facilities in recent years, but it still lags behind most schools in the league on this front.

Final Verdict: Washington State’s biggest hurdle is its location. In a league that includes four teams in California, one in Phoenix, one in Seattle and one just outside Denver, it’s tough to remain relevant when your school is 280 miles from the nearest big city (Seattle).

How long can it take to complete a journey from rags to riches? For Brad Keselowski, it took six years. The driver spent the 2006 offseason mourning the pending bankruptcy of his family operation, and was forced to drive for a minor-league, suspect organization that was running junkyard equipment simply to make ends meet. How bad was it? The driver who this season added hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers mid-Daytona 500 didn’t even make the field for the February 2007 then-Busch Series event at the same track.

Now, Keselowski heads to the 2013 version of the Great American Race with a Sprint Cup title trophy and more money than most 28-year-olds could ever dream of. It’s a historic turnaround that won’t often be repeated in this sport, especially in modern times. But Keselowski, a man known for speaking his mind no matter the cost, has also never forgotten the values that got him there — he spent some of that title money bailing his parents out of debt. It’s a complex mix of private heart and public bravado that puts him in position to attract a whole new breed of fans into the sport as the reigning Sprint Cup champ.

How does he plan to do it? How has reaching the top changed him? And what motivates the bid for a repeat? Keselowski talked to Athlon Sports about all that and much more this December in between trips around the holiday party circuit.

What has the offseason been like for you?

(Laughs) It hasn’t really existed yet. Still working my way through it.

Has being the champion sunk in yet? Or do you think it won’t sink in until reaching Daytona in February?

Probably the pinnacle of how it will sink in, in my eyes — and this is something I give NASCAR a lot of credit for — is when they stage your car in the first position in the garage all season long. I really like how NASCAR does that.

Have you been surprised at anything that’s happened so far? Have you been asked to do things you didn’t expect? Or has it been everything you’ve thought of?

No, no. It’s been pretty good. Nothing’s really stuck out, although I’ve had a lot of fun — I can tell you that. But no real surprises.

How many girls’ numbers have you gotten since Homestead?

(Laughs) Enough to be happy.

The championship can give you one hell of a pickup line.

Yeah, no kidding. (Laughs) I got this trophy…

Humor aside, you’ve taken the responsibility of leading this sport very seriously. What’s the main goal you have off the track that you’re looking to accomplish with this championship tenure?

I want the sport to be stronger. Our futures are tied into this sport, all of ours. And in my eyes, I would like to see the sport grow or at least stop some of the decline that it’s seen. And I want to be instrumental in making that happen. I think it’s very, very possible.

So how do you think you can do that as champion?

I think it’s a work in progress. I don’t think it’s one thing. I think it’s a list of slow and steady improvements and updating the sport in different times.

There are critics, of course, in every sport. What do you say to people who say Jimmie Johnson lost this championship instead of you winning it?

I say that’s why we race four more years, and we’ll find out if that’s the case.

Is there an extra sense of pride here in that you left Hendrick Motorsports in 2009 because a full-time Cup ride was never guaranteed — and then you go to Penske, and over a three-year period build up an organization capable of beating them?

You know, that was a tough go, making those decisions. Certainly, it adds an element to everything that happened and the difficulty of success. It’s very sweet to win a championship, and you just add those things up. … I don’t feel like one championship is enough for me to really solidify that position of greatness in the sport. You need to win multiple championships, and that’s my goal.

OK. Well you’ve had a month to think about it; for this first one, what do you think the difference was in 2012?

I think we were really strong through the (whole) Chase. We obviously earned our way into it by winning two or three races beforehand, but in the Chase we were able to find another level, and that’s critical.

In talking to drivers throughout the garage, it becomes clear that you’ve gone from someone who was questioned to someone that, hey, they may disagree with what you say, but you are universally respected. That shift seemed to come during this title run. What, if anything, do you think caused that, and do you feel you’re behaving any differently from two, three years ago?

I’m thinking I’m winning more. There’s a bit of swagger that comes with that which others respect. Success breeds respect.

So you don’t think, personality-wise, you’re any different than you were a couple of years ago?

I don’t think so. I’m sure other people would say that. But I don’t.

A couple of years ago we were talking about your move to Penske, and you said something that stuck with me: “I’m never going to change. I’m Brad, and this is who I am — like it or leave it.” Do you feel like you’ve adhered to that?

Well, I believe there are some slight adaptations you have to have from year to year, to continue to evolve to be the best you can. But the core of who I am hasn’t changed one bit.

Some people have come out and said your sister in particular has made a big difference in your life off the track as of late. How is your true “inner circle” different from two or three years ago, and what are the challenges of keeping it once you’ve enjoyed this type of success?

Well, you’re a product of the people you surround yourself by. That’s some of the most important life decisions you’ll make — whether it’s your personal relationships, marriage, etc. Your family or friends, or even co-workers. The people I’m around, they just keep getting stronger, we keep finding common ground to be the best we can. That’s part of why I’m where I’m at. Obviously, I don’t want to lose that, and I have no intention to do so.

No extra protections once you’re famous?

No, you just have to learn the art of respect for saying, “No.”

Got some state of the sport questions for you. Clint Bowyer is still mad at Jeff Gordon — everyone seems surprised by that. What’s your take, and do we need more people mad at each other in this sport?

Anger is a difficult emotion. I think that you look at today’s society, and (people) relate very well to emotion. They like seeing that out of us as drivers, without a doubt. And that can be healthy. But I think there’s a way to show emotion that obviously can play out — I don’t want to use the word “responsibly” — but a little friendlier than what happened at Phoenix.

But could one say we’ve lost the element of “rivalry” in the last couple of years? Or is it still around?

No, I don’t feel that way. There’s rivalries out there, there always have been. I just think they’re a little more hidden than they’ve ever been. There actually might be more now than ever.

OK, if they’re hidden, how do we un-hide them in a way that’s healthy?

It’s a difficult question, because you look at rivalries in the NFL, and it’s stuff that works very well for them, as well as other sports. It’s a difficult question, for sure. … I think right now the way the business platform is, the business model of racing, the sponsors really make it the hardest sell of all.

Because you look at a sponsor, and when you create a rivalry, you have to understand what you’re doing is pitting two people against each other. So what happens next is the fan base goes against each other. So the next thing you hear from the fans and so forth, “I hate such and such driver because I’m a such and such fan.” And those messages, the angry messages are always the first messages to get through to people, whether it’s on Twitter or at the race. Those are always the first messages to get through, because boos are always louder than cheers. And I think those boos really scare off those sponsors or put that driver in a particularly bad position. When that happens, the way the business model of the sport is, that driver finds it hard to get a sponsor. And when you find it hard to get a sponsor, you know, you essentially have bankrupted your team and robbed yourself of your own competitiveness that you need to be relevant.

So, I think the business model is very complicated for allowing rivalries.

I read with interest this offseason in a USA Today interview that “you felt like you were the last driver to slide through a door” where talent, not money moves you up. But if you’re technically the last person, does that mean the sport’s facing a serious problem, where money is the only way that gets you to the Cup Series? How do you make it stop?

It’s collective across racing, that funded drivers are getting the majority of new positions that open up. And that’s what I would say, for at least a short time period, will be the case for all rides. The natural way for that to change would obviously be if elite talents come up and prove themselves. Guys like Ryan Blaney. But we (as Cup competitors) all have to run behind those guys (for them to succeed).

And not only that, but some doors have to open. You’re looking at a Cup field where the average age is in the 30s. Most of these drivers are in their prime. So, you look at the field, with the exception of three or four drivers, they’re not going anywhere for a long time period. That means there’s going to be very few rides open, very few seats to come open. And there’s not a crop of drivers that’s going to replace them.

That puts the sport in a very interesting position. And eventually, it’ll cycle back when that talent pool gets so depleted where, essentially, the seats will open up. But as it stands now, the talent pool doesn’t lend itself to that happening.

Well, one could argue new rides could open up if we get new owners who want to race. The core group of owners is getting older — yours, Roger Penske, will be 76 years old in 2013. How much longer do you think he’ll do this, and do you worry he may one day step back?

Yeah. I hope Roger does it forever, I think that’s his intentions. I would assume he’s mortal — although I’m not sure of that sometimes (laughs). I imagine he’ll be in it until he proves otherwise, as far as his mortality is concerned.

But I think new owners are very important to the sport. It’s been very interesting to see owners leave the sport, because if you look at periods of time, NASCAR has made it a point to ensure there was a large owner pool from a standpoint of being able to protect the sport in case those owners were to bond together. And that’s slowly disappearing, which I find interesting. I think it’s in the best interest of the sport, purely from NASCAR’s standpoint, to add some owners back into it. To keep everyone honest, so to speak. I think NASCAR sees that, too, but it’s not an easy road to get some owners back in the sport. That’s something they have to work on.

Will the new qualifying rules opening it up to everyone help with that?

Yeah, I think qualifying was more of a perception matter. The perception of the fans was there was the potential for wrong drivers to get into a race. I would argue that has happened before, in the decade prior, but I would also argue in the last two to three years, that hasn’t really been an issue. But I can understand the fan perception — it is what it is.

Heading into next year, you’ve got a new teammate, new car, new manufacturer, and new engine package. Could you have made it any harder on yourself to repeat?

You’re asking the question, could I have made it any harder, and I answer back with, “Could I have made it any easier?” That’s the reality of it. I feel the exact opposite, because I think all of those will be an upgrade from our perspective. I know already that Ford is going to provide an elite car. It will probably be more competitive than what we had last year. I think, without a doubt, our teammate situation with Joey Logano will be improved. I think that whole team has changed internally with different people to be stronger. We’re all curious to see how that pays off.

I think this new car will open up some doors; they’re less aero sensitive, and you’ll be able to pass a little more readily. That’s one of my stronger suits. So I think all of these matters are not to my detriment but in my favor.

For years, you’ve had to sit there and put the bull’s-eye on Jimmie Johnson. Now that you’ve got the bull’s-eye, does that change your perspective at all?

I don’t think I’m the bull’s-eye, for one. I don’t feel like that I’m the bull’s-eye at all. So it’s not fair for me to answer that question if I don’t feel that way.

I would like to be the bull’s-eye one day. But I look at it as 12 to 1. 12 to 1. I told my guys at the Penske Racing Christmas Party — it’s very easy to lose motivation after becoming a champion. But I feel like you have something to prove (still) because everyone keeps telling you you’re the greatest.

Well, I’ll tell you, people aren’t telling me I’m the greatest. I read all these previews, and all this stuff that comes out as Vegas and they have us as 12-to-1 to win the championship. That’s not even in the top 5. So Vegas doesn’t even think we can be in the top 5 next year. I would say that means we’re not a bull’s-eye.

What’s it going to take for people to start believing in you?

I don’t know. It’s not something … I used to be very jaded about it earlier in my career. Now it gives me something to laugh about. Every step of the way, I’ve had people who don’t believe in me. It’s been fuel for the fire. It’s made us stronger. Now, it’s almost to a point where I relish it.

One last question. What’s the status on the tank?

You know, I’ll be honest. I’m struggling. I’ve got a lot of people calling me, but I don’t trust any of them. I haven’t found what I want. I would put my progress bar at less than five percent. I thought it would be a lot easier than it is, I will tell you that. There are plenty of tanks out there, but nobody really wants to sell them. And the ones that do want to sell them just want to make a huge profit — I’m not going to let that happen.

Daytona. For the casual fan, it’s the one time a year in which tuning in is a must, not an option. For the hardcore fans and industry veterans, it’s a spiritual revival. It suffices as the start of a new NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season when teams have spotless records and sky-high optimism.

For some drivers, there’s red still left over from the previous season’s ledger that they’re eager to erase. For a few, there are trends they’d like to keep on keepin’ on. This week’s batch of numbers shows those trends. Some of the metrics used are from my home site, MotorsportsAnalytics.com, but you’re encouraged to read a quick glossary of the terms.

3 and 2.3 Matt Kenseth has scored three victories and earned a 2.3 average finish across his last six restrictor plate races.

Kenseth, long lauded as an intuitive racer, has transformed himself into something of a restrictor plate racing stalwart. The 2.3-place average finish in that timeframe — and that includes a fifth-place run in last Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited, his first outing for Joe Gibbs Racing — is easily the best among drivers in the Cup Series and his minuscule 1.6-position deviation for those six finishes indicates incredible consistency for races often dubbed “crapshoots.” His 7.853 PEER (Production in Equal Equipment Rating) on plate tracks is not only the highest among 50 drivers from the 2012 season, but also pure statistical absurdity. Kenseth is ridiculously good at this style of racing.

-1.050 Danica Patrick’s replacement-level PEER ranked last in the Cup Series in 2012. PEER measures the on-track production of a race car driver in an “all equipment even” scenario. For perspective, Ken Schrader, in a 13-race S&P effort, registered at 49th, with a -.250 PEER. That’s a large gap.

Danica Patrick became the first woman to win a pole in the history of the Cup Series last weekend and the fourth rookie to win the pole for the Daytona 500 (following Loy Allen, Mike Skinner and Jimmie Johnson). Cue pandemonium.

But let’s be real for a sec; we’re discussing a rookie driver who amassed a negative replacement-level PEER across 10 races last season (translation: beyond bad). At Daytona specifically, she competed in two races — her qualifying Duel race and the 500 — and crashed out of both. If you’re a Danica fan, enjoy the moment. Eat, drink and be merry, but also, be realistic. It’s feasible she’ll lead laps on Sunday, but pump the brakes on the delusion of Chase-making grandeur.

3Jimmie Johnson has crashed out in each of the last three races at Daytona; last year’s Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 and this year’s Sprint Unlimited.

Johnson Tweeted about his frustration following Saturday night’s race. Come on, Five-Time. Every chance you’ve had to get some drafting practice in (i.e. January testing, practice last Friday), you didn’t even attempt to take advantage. You need it; that 47th-best -0.167 plate track PEER you earned last year won’t get better without putting in the work.

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season kicks off Feb. 24 with the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The Great American Race also marks the beginning of the fantasy NASCAR season for fans who are again met with the tough decision of choosing the best drivers to fill their fantasy line-up. To help guide you through the 2013 season, Athlon Sports will be offering up our best predictions for each race. And because Yahoo's Fantasy Auto Racing game is arguably the most popular, we'll be breaking down our picks according to their NASCAR driver classes—A-List, B-List, C-List.

So, without further ado, we give you our fantasy predictions for the 2013 Daytona 500, ranked according to each driver's likelihood of taking the checkered flag (or at least finishing toward the front):

A-List Drivers

1. Matt Kenseth — Kenseth finished in the top 3 in all four plate races last year and was strong in last weekend’s Sprint Unlimited.

2. Tony Stewart — Has second-highest driver rating (96.5) for points-paying races at Daytona in the last eight years.

3. Kevin Harvick — Started week strong, winning Sprint Unlimited but that race winner hasn’t won the Daytona 500 since 2000. With four top-10s in his last six Daytona starts, could Harvick end that drought for Sprint Unlimited winners?

4. Jeff Gordon — Has the most top-fives (12) among active drivers in the Daytona 500.

5. Denny Hamlin — Has never had a DNF in 14 career starts at Daytona but has had only 2 top-10s in those races.

6. Clint Bowyer — Does not have a top-10 finish in his last five Daytona starts, including two DNFs during that stretch.

7. Kasey Kahne — Has schizophrenic track record. Has not finished better than 25th in the last four Daytona 500s but in the July Daytona race he has three consecutive top-10s.

8. Brad Keselowski — Last July’s Daytona race was his first top-10 finish at the track in seven Cup starts.

9. Jimmie Johnson — Has one top-15 finish in his last nine Daytona starts and has failed to finish the last two races there.

B-List Drivers

1. Kyle Busch — He has the highest driver rating for points races in the last eight years at Daytona at 97.6, and has the highest percentage of laps run in the top 15 (72.4) during that time)

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. — Among active drivers, he has the best average finish in Cup races at Daytona at 14.5 and has placed second in two of the last three Daytona 500s.

3. Jeff Burton — Only driver, other than Matt Kenseth, to score top-five finishes in both Daytona races last season.

4. Kurt Busch — Ranks third in laps led in points-paying races in the last eight years at Daytona behind only Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch.

5. Carl Edwards — Has six top-10s in his last seven Daytona starts.

6. Greg Biffle — Led 79 laps in the two Daytona races last year, second only to Matt Kenseth, who led 139 laps in those races.

7. Joey Logano — In his last three Cup races at Daytona, he’s finished third, ninth and fourth.

8. Mark Martin — Has an average finish of 12.0 in last four Daytona 500s.

9. Paul Menard — In his last four Cup races at Daytona, he’s finished ninth, eighth, sixth and 14th.

10. Martin Truex Jr. — He’s the only driver to have led at least one lap in each of the last four Cup races at Daytona. His reply via Twitter: “time to lead the last one.’’

11. Bobby Labonte — Has three top-15 finishes in his last four Daytona starts, including a fourth in the 2011 Daytona 500.

12. Aric Almirola — Has scored four top-20 finishes in his last five starts in restrictor-plate races.

13. Ryan Newman — Since winning the 2008 Daytona 500, he has one top-15 finish at Daytona, a fifth-place finish last July.

14. Juan Pablo Montoya — Did not finish better than 28th in any of the four restrictor-plate races last season.

15. Marcos Ambrose — Has an average finish of 24.1 in eight career Cup races at Daytona and has yet to lead a lap.

16. Jamie McMurray — Since winning 2010 Daytona 500, he’s not had a top-10 finish at the track in a Cup race.

C-List Drivers

1. Michael Waltrip — Was challenging for the lead at Talladega in most recent restrictor-plate race last fall before the big last-lap crash. Has three top-20 finishes in last five Daytona starts.

2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — Finished 20th in last year’s Daytona 500, his first start in the race. Place second in July Nationwide race at Daytona last year.

3. Austin Dillon — Making his first Cup start at Daytona. Finished in the top five last year in both Nationwide races there.

Without back-to-back tire failures late last the year, Dillon might have become the first rookie to win the series title, driving grandfather Richard Childress’ No. 3. Expect to see more of the same, following in brother Austin’s footsteps to a title in his sophomore season before moving on to the Nationwide Series in 2014.

2. Timothy Peters (above right)

Last season was the best Peters had posted in his career in the Truck Series, with career highs in wins (two), top 5s (10) and points finish (second). He’s paired with powerhouse Red Horse Racing and an intact crew, so there’s no doubt he’ll stay competitive. The organization will experience change, though, as Todd Bodine was released in the offseason in favor of John Wes Townley and his family’s Zaxby’s money. This move may not be as bad as one would think, as the wrecked equipment will cancel out while the money is a boon.

3. James Buescher

Winning back-to-back championships has proven impossible in the Truck Series thus far. However, with the amount of resources and the marked improvement Turner Motorsports showed throughout 2012, it’s hard to believe Buescher won’t be a factor — unless he jumps to the Nationwide Series instead.

4. Nelson Piquet Jr.

It’s hard to bet against anyone from Turner Motorsports after the numbers the organization put up in 2012 — seven victories spread among three different drivers. Piquet earned two, then ended the season with four straight top-10 finishes, a clear sign he’s developing championship consistency. Expect the third full-time season to be the charm here, especially if the Brazilian becomes Turner’s No. 1.

5. Joey Coulter

After grabbing his first career victory with Richard Childress Racing last year, Coulter looks to continue that success with Kyle Busch Motorsports. He hasn’t been the king of consistency, but the 22-year-old posted back-to-back third-place results to close 2012 and will bring that momentum along with him.

6. Matt Crafton

Back with ThorSport Racing for a 12th year in the Truck Series, this veteran mainstay hopes to make a championship push after his No. 88 team struggled in the transition from Chevrolet to Toyota. After a rough start to 2012 (one top 10 in five races), he quietly recovered while setting a career high in laps led (125).

7. Miguel Paludo

The Brazilian is returning to Turner Motorsports behind the wheel of the No. 32 Duroline Chevrolet, but perhaps what’s more important is that Jeff Hensley remains atop the pit box. Late in 2012, the duo began taking detailed notes of every practice and qualifying session in an effort to make the most of their setups. Improvement was slow but steady, as they closed with a fifth at Homestead in the season finale, leaving them optimistic about 2013.

8. Jeb Burton

Though he made only five 2012 starts, Burton (right) impressed with three top-13 finishes, including an eighth at Charlotte. That was enough to open eyes at Turner Motorsports, which now gives him resources to contend. With father Ward lending a guiding hand, this 20-year-old is poised to become another one of NASCAR’s next-generation stars.

9. Johnny Sauter

Coming off of his worst season, when he posted only nine top-10 finishes, Sauter looks to shake off the bad luck that plagued his ThorSport Racing No. 13 Toyota throughout 2012. While he’s been a championship threat in the past, winning four races the past two seasons, it’ll take more consistency for him to get solidly back in the hunt.

10. Ron Hornaday Jr.

After struggling in his first season away from Kevin Harvick, Inc., the organization that helped him win 25 races and two championships, Hornaday looks to utilize a merger with Joe Denette and NTS Motorsports to find his way back to Victory Lane. After career lows in top-5 results (two) and a 13th-place points showing, there’s nowhere to go but up.

This summer, those words will be chanted from NASCAR Nation far and wide as the Camping World Truck Series becomes the guinea pig for one of the sport’s most noble modern experiments: a return to dirt racing. On July 24, Tony Stewart’s short track bullring in Rossburg, Ohio, will be the site of the first major sanctioned NASCAR event on dirt since 1970. With a starting field of just 30 trucks, an entry list expected to be double that, and the added bonus of a Wednesday night showdown, it’s not hard to find this division’s biggest storyline entering 2013.

It also shouldn’t come as a surprise. Always known for a perfect mix of veterans and young drivers, this series has become the “chemistry test” as the sport looks to mold its long-term future. Last fall, NASCAR VP Steve O’Donnell suggested heat races could be introduced, along with additional short tracks by 2014, as the series looks to recapture the fan base by getting creative with the series that offers arguably NASCAR’s closest competition. Between the “old school” connection to Rockingham, whose 2012 Truck Series event was its first on the NASCAR schedule since 2004, to the “new school” of Mosport, Ontario, bringing trucks past the Canadian border for the first time in history this September (and on a road course, no less), full-time competitors will be faced with the most diverse set of challenges in the sport.

No statement of parity describes the Truck Series better than this little-known fact: In 18 years, there’s never been a repeat champ. Current titleholder James Buescher may not even get the chance, as it’s believed he’ll move up to the Nationwide Series. Even without Buescher, there’s plenty of talent on hand in a diverse set of title challengers (from rookie Jeb Burton to sophomore Ty Dillon to 12-year veteran Matt Crafton) in what’s bound to be a wide-open title chase. Younger drivers could find themselves a part of the fray, too — at least part-time — as new rules, announced late last season, allow drivers as young as 16 to compete on shorter tracks (1.1 miles or less) along with road courses.

Even the most competitive series comes with its share of concerns, though. Most events on the schedule haven’t changed, with only five races in the first three months. That means teams and fans alike will once again struggle to find momentum. As with the Nationwide Series, purse money is so low at some tracks ($6,000-plus for a finish in the 30s) that sponsorship becomes a necessity to survive.

Still, with a healthy TV contract (FOX/SPEED has re-signed through 2022) and after another set of nailbiting finishes in 2012, this series should be thought of as healthier than its Nationwide counterpart. While the title race is undecided, one thing that can be counted on is that Trucks will once again put on the best show. Perhaps it’s race length; maybe it’s drivers looking to make an impression, trying to work their way up the ladder. It could be that truck chassis, less aerodynamic than their “car” counterparts, produce closer competition. Regardless of the cause, know that the Truck Series remains the sport’s hidden gem entering 2013.